Lumber room

P LOT
The Exposition Nicholas gets into disgrace with his aunt.

It is the background informati on

on the characters and setti ng
explained at the beginning of the
story. So, his cousins are to be taken to Jagborough sands that
afternoon and he must stay at home.
The EXPOSITION will oft en have
informati on about events that
happened before the story began.

The EXPOSITION is oft en the ver y The aunt was absolutely sure that the boy will get into
fi rst part of the PLOT. the gooseberry garden and orders him not to enter it.

Complication/ Rising action
It refers to the events that take place
in a story between the expositi on and
climax.
This part of the story is oft en where
the protagonist faces challenges and
must overcome obstacles to achieve
their goal.
Nicholas gets into the lumber room, a place of unimagined
treasure. Every single item brings life and
imagination to Nicholas and is symbolic of what the adults
of the real world lack.
The tapestry
awakens his imagination to a great extent.
The pots and candlesticks stir up his creative mind
and lastly a large square book, full of pictures of birds,
makes it a superb expedition for him.

Climax
is the point of greatest tension in
the stor y—this is typically when
the protagonist confronts the
antagonist.
While Nicholas is admiring the coloring of a mandarin
duck, the voice of his aunt comes from
the gooseberry garden.
She has slipped into the rainwater tank and cannot get out.
She
commands the boy to bring her ladder and he ignores it
saying that it may be the sound of the
Evil One.
The aunt realizes that her punishment has boomeranged on
her.
Falling Action
It occurs af ter the stor y’s climax and is
the opposite of the stor y’s rising
• Aunt is rescued by a kitchen maid.
action.

Overall, the falling action ser ves to tie

up loose ends and relieve the major
tension of the stor y.
 The furious aunt maintains the frozen
The resolution
silence of one who has suffered
undignified detention in a
rain water tank for thirty five minutes.
Resoluti on is the end of the
story.
It occurs aft er the CLIMAX.
Nicholas is also silent and is leisurely
It is when you learn what thinking about the tapestry that was
happens to the characters aft er in the lumber room.
the CONFLICT is resolved.
THEMES
G E N E R AT I O N
GAP
Generation Gap

• This is the distancing of two generations due to inability to

understand needs of each other and express their feelings.
• These needs and emotions are based on the values and preferences they
have.
• The Aunt who represents the older generation is unable to
understand a simple feeling as the food preference of a child.
• Aunt assumes that a child’s needs are all physical: food,
expeditions etc. But what are missing are praise, smiles, love and
attention.
 Misuse of religion

• Throughout the story we witness negative religious ideas

such as sin, Devil, the Evil One.
• These words are used to instil fear in children.
• However, Nicholas uses aunt's religious treats against herself.
"Aunt often tells me that the Evil One tempts me and
that I always yield’.
"This time I'm not going to yield."
Children may be more
innovative than the adults.

• Putting a frog in his bread and

milk.
• Deceiving aunt into thinking
he is going to gooseberry
garden.
• Pretending aunt is the evil
one.
• Bad intentions will boomerang on you.

• Adults must be careful in punishing

children,
CHARACTERS
CHARACTERS
 • Third person narration
• • A chronological order in the plot

• • Use of Metaphors
A circus of unrivalled merit and
uncounted elephants
Techniques •
• Use of Rhetorical Questions
But did the huntsman see, what Nicholas
saw, that four galloping wolves were
coming in his
direction through the wood?
 • • Use of a large variety of epithets to
highlight the child’s world and the
grown-up’s world

(grim chuckle, alleged frog, unknown

Techniques land, stale delight, mere material pleasure,
bare
and cheerless, thickly growing vegetation)
(frivolous ground, considerable obstinacy,
trivial gardening operation, unauthorized
intrusion).
 • Setting
• Tone
• Irony
Techniques • Conflict
• Choice of language