October in the Chair

“His beard was all colors, a grove of trees in autumn, deep brown and fire-orange and wine-red, an untrimmed tangle across the lower half of his face. His cheeks were apple-red. He looked like a friend; like someone you had known all your life.”

Neil Gaiman uses imagery to characterize the months and demonstrates a strong connection between the month of October and October’s physical appearance. His beard is the color of falling leaves and his cheeks evoke both apples, an autumnal harvest staple, and the crisp air that causes rosy cheeks. In addition, October is described as looking like a friend, developing his warm personality that is later demonstrated when he supports November.

“September said, ‘Obviously pathos and culture are not to everyone's taste. Some people prefer their barbecues and beer, and some of us like—’”

August criticizes September’s story as lackluster, and September fights back with a snarky comment. While September represents the transition to the final part of the year and sees himself as very important, August is the final month of summer and is depicted as a large, golden-haired, and sunburned man. September’s insult not only elevates his own identity as pretentious but further characterizes August as one that enjoys the leisure of the summer months.

“There was a boy, October said, who was miserable at home, although they did not beat him. He did not fit well, not his family, not his town, nor even his life. He had two older brothers, who were twins, older than he was, and who hurt him or ignored him, and were popular. They played football: some games one twin would score more and be the hero, and some games the other would. Their little brother did not play football. They had a name for their brother. They called him the Runt.”

The opening of October’s embedded narrative introduces the Runt and his family situation. He makes a point of stressing that the Runt’s misery comes not from physical abuse but from the neglect he experiences in the shadow of his twin brothers. This introduction also demonstrates that the Runt’s situation extends outside of his family to the wider town, showing that the Runt has no place where he fits in.

“Now, perhaps because names have power, he was a runt: skinny and small and nervous. He had been born with a runny nose, and it had not stopped running in a decade. At mealtimes, if the twins liked the food, they would steal his; if they did not, they would contrive to place their food on his plate and he would find himself in trouble for leaving good food uneaten.”

One of the central themes of “October in the Chair” is The Power of Names, and this quote introduces the notion with the Runt’s character. He is described as physically being a runt, with a runny nose, small stature, and nervous temperament, as well as being occasionally starved by his brothers’ greed. It raises the question of whether the Runt earned this name because of his features or if he adapted to his name after it was bestowed.

“He had read books, newspapers, and magazines. He knew that if you ran away you sometimes met bad people who did bad things to you; but he had also read fairy tales, so he knew that there were kind people out there, side by side with the monsters.”

This excerpt shows the divide between the Runt’s youth and his sense of reality. While the Runt is 10 years old, he has been exposed to the adult world through written material and is aware of the dangers of running away. However, he holds on to fairy tales and their depiction of the world, in which good people persevere. This battle between imagination and reality plays a central role in the Runt’s identity and his decision-making later on in the story.

“He had thought that once he got out of the town he would see springs of fresh water everywhere, but there were none to be found. There was a river, though, that ran beneath a wide bridge. The Runt stopped halfway across the bridge to stare down at the brown water.”

This is one of the first instances in which the Runt’s fairy tale imagination is crushed by the reality he finds on the road. His dreams of freedom are filled with freshwater springs, and yet all he finds is one big river. As he walks along the river, he notices that it is dirty, a clear refutation of his expectations. Once again, his youth impacts what he expects from the world.

“He imagined himself coming home in a few years’ time. The delight on his family’s faces as he walked up the path to home. Their welcome. Their love….”

The Runt has many dreams about his future and life away from his family, but each of them leads him back to his childhood home. Earlier in the story, before the reality of his situation sets in, the Runt dreams of returning to a loving family. It is a family that he doesn’t know, but he hopes that his time away will make them realize how they have neglected them. He wishes to receive love during his triumphant return, something that he has been starved of his entire life.

“There were dozens of stones of all sizes in the small meadow. Tall stones, bigger than either of the boys, and small ones, just the right size for sitting on. There were some broken stones. The Runt knew what sort of a place this was, but it did not scare him. It was a loved place.”

October’s story subverts the classic ghost story and offers a different portrayal of supernatural spirits and their homes. Graveyards are often depicted as scary, threatening spaces in which vengeful spirits haunt the stones, but in “October in the Chair,” Gaiman describes it as a place full of love. It is Dearly’s home, a meadow with stones, not a place one should be terrified to enter.

“‘Nope,’ said Dearly. ‘Mostly, they sleep. And even when they walk, they can’t be bothered to just go and see stuff and do things. They can’t be bothered with me.’”

The theme of youth is prominent in “October in the Chair,” and it is not limited to the Runt’s experiences. Dearly is just as lonely in his graveyard, being the only child. The spirits of older people aren’t interested in exploring and playing around town; most of them sleep and pay him no attention. Their night together is the first time either of them has been recognized in a long time, and it represents a possible turning point for both boys. If the Runt stays, they can both leave their lonely lives for one with a new friend.

“It was easy to climb. There were handholds in the bark, and the boys went up the big beech like a couple of monkeys or pirates or warriors. From the top of the tree one could see the whole world. The sky was starting to lighten, just a hair, in the east.”

The figurative language in this scene further represents the influence of youth on the Runt’s perception. Simile is used to describe the boys climbing, as they imagine themselves to be monkeys, pirates, or warriors instead of just boys climbing the tree. Gaiman also uses hyperbole, saying that they can see the whole world from the top of the tree. They cannot actually see the whole world, but it might as well be since it is the most they have seen from one place. Instead of this scene just describing the reality of their climb, it becomes filled with youthful imagination.

“He would buy them all, the twins, his parents, a meal at the finest restaurant in the city, and they would tell him how badly they had misunderstood him and mistreated him. They apologized and wept, and through it all he said nothing. He let their apologies wash over him. And then he would give each of them a gift, and afterward he would leave their lives once more, this time for good.”

The Runt once again dreams of a triumphant return to his family. This time, however, instead of returning for love, he imagines returning for vindication, proving to his family that he was always better off without them. He wants to flaunt his freedom and wealth and have them grovel for their past abuses. This change in his dream represents his sense of reality with his family. He becomes convinced that they cannot change, and for his life to change, he will have to sever his ties with them.

“Climbing down the tree was harder, the Runt found. You couldn’t see where you were putting your feet and had to feel around for somewhere to put them. Several times he slipped and slid, but Dearly went down ahead of him and would say things like ‘A little to the right, now,’ and they both made it down just fine.”

The Runt has always been alone in a family that doesn’t recognize or support him. However, he finally finds a supporting friend in Dearly. In this scene, Dearly helps the Runt climb down from the tree safely, which is hard to imagine his older brothers doing. At this point in the story, the Runt is considering his next moves, and Dearly’s fun and support play a huge role in that decision.

“‘If I wanted to stay—?’ said the Runt, all in a burst. Then he stopped. I might never get another chance to change it, thought the Runt. He’d never get to the sea. They’d never let him.”

At this point in the story, reality has fully set in, and the Runt knows that he cannot run away forever. He will soon return to a family that will be unchanged by his departure. He considers becoming a ghost with Dearly, even if it means he can’t see the sea, because it will at least be a change from his past life. By staying with Dearly, the Runt is sacrificing his future for a permanent childhood filled with friendliness. He is limited by his youth, thinking that this will be his only chance to leave his family, when in reality, he could escape in the future.