The author uses Framton’s frantic and overexaggerated gestures as humor to show his fearfulness. This indirect characterization effectively satirizes social anxieties and the absurdity of the situation, as Framton's excessive response to the newcomers reveals his ineptitude in handling unexpected social interactions. By portraying him as someone who bolts in terror, the author underscores the contrast between Framton's anxious disposition and the seemingly harmless, if not mundane, situation he encounters, thereby critiquing societal norms regarding fear and propriety.
Read the excerpt from "The Open Window."
In the deepening twilight three figures were walking across the lawn towards the window; they all carried guns under their arms, and one of them was additionally burdened with a white coat hung over his shoulders. A tired brown spaniel kept close at their heels. Noiselessly they neared the house, and then a hoarse young voice chanted out of the dusk: "I said, Bertie, why do you bound?”
Framton grabbed wildly at his stick and hat; the hall-door, the gravel-drive, and the front gate were dimly-noted stages in his headlong retreat. A cyclist coming along the road had to run into the hedge to avoid an imminent collision.
"Here we are, my dear,” said the bearer of the white mackintosh, coming in through the window; "fairly muddy, but most of it’s dry. Who was that who bolted out as we came up?”
"A most extraordinary man, a Mr. Nuttel,” said Mrs. Sappleton; "could only talk about his illnesses, and dashed off without a word of good-bye or apology when you arrived. One would think he had seen a ghost.”
How does the author use indirect characterization to create satire?
The author describes the dog as a tired brown spaniel to highlight the demand of the hunting trip.
The author uses Mr. Sappleton’s curiosity about Framton’s sudden departure to showcase Framton’s rudeness.
The author employs Mrs. Sappleton’s dialogue to critique the cyclist’s reaction to the near collision.
The author uses Framton’s frantic and overexaggerated gestures as humor to show his fearfulness.
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