The Lumber Room is a short story by Saki, which was first published in 1912 It is about a young boy named Nicholas, who is six years old, and lives in an English country house with his aunts. His aunts have a strict rule of never straying from their country home and Nicholas has become tired of the same routine. He discovers a forbidden garden behind his aunts' house and unlocks a door that leads to a lumber room, where he finds an exciting secret.
The Lumber Room is a moral tale that explores themes of authority, rebellion, curiosity, and imagination versus convention. Here are five essay topics about The Lumber Room:
1. How does Saki’s use of symbolism in The Lumber Room convey the theme of rebellion and authority?
2. How do Nicholas’s aunts serve as archetypal figures in The Lumber Room?
3. How does Saki explore the themes of imagination and curiosity in The Lumber Room?
4. How is the theme of rebellion explored in The Lumber Room through the use of the forbidden garden?
5. In what ways does the setting of The Lumber Room contribute to the themes of rebellion and imagination?