Death

Death is one of the most important themes in "The Boarded Window." When Murlock's wife falls into a coma-like state, he mistakenly believes she is dead. In fact, she is not dead, but Murlock turns out to contribute to, if not actually cause, her death. His unconscious wife is attacked by a panther while Murlock sleeps. He awakens and views the horrible sight of the great cat dragging what he believes to be his dead wife's body. When he immediately loses consciousness, Murlock loses any chance he might have had of stanching the flow of blood from her wound and thus saving her life.

The idea of death, and the effect it has on the living, can also be seen throughout the story. Murlock's frenzied action in shooting the rifle stems from the knowledge that his dead wife is not where he left her on the table. He...