The Lumber Room - Critical Analysis

Critical Analysis

The opening scene gives a different impression on Nicholas, compared to other children. Nicholas is not only different, but also more interesting. His complain on his breakfast is quite unbelievable, but shows his creative mind.

“wholesome bread and milk,”

Nicholas lives in strict discipline atmosphere, there the adults know the meaning of “wholesome bread” for the children.

“Older and wiser and better people”

Nicholas shows the firm mind set of the adults. But it could be easily disrupted because Nicholas shows them. It is possible to see a frog in the breakfast for he very casually takes a frog from his garden puts in to his food. He shows it is not too hard for the wild life to enter and disturb the discipline world. Nicholas is brave to point out their mistakes. Nicholas does not give priority to the elder’s opinion, but he is well content to point out their mistakes

Nicholas boy - cousin, girl- cousin and

“quite uninteresting younger brother”

All the characters are identified by their relationship to Nicholas rather than by their names. Nicholas plays a vital role in the story. His younger brother is quite uninteresting and not as creative as Nicholas. The Aunt is Nicholas’s cousin’s Aunt. But aunt claims that she is Nicholas’s Aunt which he finds hard to believe. Nicholas finds many lies in her talk through the course of the story. Nicholas is creative and imaginative where as his so-called Aunt tries many lies to punish Nicholas. She invents fun and trips with the intention to punish Nicholas.

“The Aunt expects Nicholas to cry when the other children leave for Jagborough”

The aunt wants to see Nicholas in tears when she punished him. This shows her nature. But Nicholas does not like to give her the satisfaction. Before the children’s trip, Nicholas points out the girl cousin’s loud cry and Bobby’s tight boots which could spoil the fun of the trip. Points out the, she does not give importance to children’s complains. She is less inattentive.

“The Aunt quickly changes the subject and tell Nicholas to stay out of the gooseberry garden.”

When Aunt feels powerless before Nicholas, she invents another new punishment by ordering him to stay away from the gooseberry garden. She stays there in the garden to check Nicholas’s obedience to her. She wants to control Nicholas to prove her authority over him.

“Nicholas comes out to the front garden”

Actually, Nicholas’s plan is different. He wants for an opportunity to enter into the lumber room. She is happy to see his aunt in the gooseberry garden for he wants his aunt to be there, he provokes his aunt to stay there as he planned so he could explore the lumber room.

 “Nicholas goes inside the house”

…. Which is to enter the lumber room.”

Nicholas is a creative planner. He is careful of every detail while making his plans. He plans well to enter the lumber room. The aunt never prefers to discuss about the lumber room with the children. Aunt doesn’t keep a good affectionate relationship with the children. She expects a blind obedience from the children. The lumber room is like a store house, used to store all unused things like old furniture and toys etc. But in this story the lumber room symbolize a place of wild and imagination. But the Aunt never allows the children near to the room. She stops their creativeness, imagination and other side of the world.

Nicholas decides that “the large and dimly lit” room is everything he’s dreamed it would be. It is a “storehouse.

Nicholas never seen his aunt decorate the house. It is a very plain house. It is quite boring. But their Aunt keeps the house plain as she is not interested to give a creative and imaginative skills to the children.

To him, it looks like a living, breathing story.”

In the lumber room Nicholas spends a lot time to all the things. Especially the tapestry which depicts a hunting scene. This scene kindles his imagination. He goes(beyond) far in thinking after seeing the hunter and the dead stag. It seems how the power of the hunter could control the wild life. This controlling attitude Nicholas could see from his Aunts who always control the kids.

“He guesses that there are most likely

Even more wolves” ……” many golden minutes”

Nicholas observes the picture with keen interest His creative thinking imagines builds a story from the scene. He is quite clever to think of more wolves and expects more wolves to hunt the hunter.

“Dull and Shapeless”

There are many unused artistic things Nicholas could find in the lumber room. He sees a candlestick shaped like snakes and a teapot shaped like a duck; sandalwood box filled with brass figures of bulls, peacocks and goblins and exotic birds. Nicholas compares all the fascinating things and the boring nursery teapot.

“The aunt calls him to come out of the gooseberry garden”

Since all are quite Aunt thinks that Nicholas is in the garden and calls him. Nicholas knows her lies and also aware of his entrance to the lumber room without her permission. Now he comes out of the room in search of his Aunt. He walks into the garden asking “who’s calling?” since he dislikes to help his Aunt he uses the same methods of Aunt as his weapons against her. Nicholas enjoys the discomfort of his aunt in the water tank.

“Nicholas replies that her voice doesn’t sound like the Aunt’s…He suspects it might be the “Evil one”

Nicholas pretends that he doesn’t know the voice from the water tank. He says that it is the “Evil One”. He shows his creative ideas to build a story around his aunt.

“Not to talk nonsense “and bring the ladder”

Now she asks Nicholas to bring the ladder, but he ignores her request. He asks about the strawberry jam for she has lied about the jam to the children. Aunt wants to come out of the water tank and prove that she is not the Devil, admits that she lied about the jam. She had four jars of jam in the cupboard. She loves to deny all the small pleasures and orders them to eat the plain bread and milk. Nicholas Knows well about the Aunt and calls her “the Evil one”. At last the kitchen maid rescues the aunt. Nicholas is quick and brave in his decision to leave his Aunt.

“That evening tea is a quiet and uncomfortable affair”

Nicholas is successful in his mission. Nicholas is right in his judgement, as he says about Bobby’s tight boots Bobby didn’t enjoy the trip.  The cousin girl too didn’t enjoy.  Nicholas ignores his Aunt when she struck in the water tank. The aunt could not scold Nicholas as he did not give a way for it. Nicholas is happy and occupied with his tapestry story. He concludes the story of the hunter as the huntsman and his dog might escape if they leave the stag to the hungry wolves.

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