October in the Chair

“October in the Chair” begins with a frame story that establishes the embedded narrative’s themes of Family Ties and The Power of Names. Neil Gaiman anthropomorphizes the months of the year to bring them to life. He goes beyond personification; rather than just giving them human qualities, he makes them into living people with unique traits that match the reader’s perceptions of the months. March is described as “low and dirty” (29) and possessing a “huge, filthy handkerchief” (29). To many, March represents the transition between winter and spring, in which the winter is washed away for a clean start in April. March has endured the worst of winter and is responsible for cleaning up whatever snow is left behind, represented by the handkerchief and dirt. April, on the other hand, is described as dainty, representing new birth and its precarious position. While the weather may be warmer and flowers are blooming, a few cold days and a frost can remind one that there are still plenty of days before summer. At the other end of the year, September is described as having, “a pencil-thin mustache and was balding in the front, which made his forehead seem high and wise” (29). September represents the transition from summer to fall, the year’s aging, and the return to school. These physical features establish The Power of Names; a month’s name calls to mind an image, and the character descriptions reinforce these perceptions.

The gathering around the fire and interactions between the months evoke the concept of family; later in the story, it is mentioned explicitly that the months are siblings, making their monthly meeting a family event. October is the leader of this month’s meeting and narrates the embedded story. October captures the month’s contrasting characteristics: harvest and Halloween. Physically, he matches the autumn setting with a beard the colors of falling leaves and friendliness as warm as the apple cider and fire the months are enjoying. The convivial atmosphere around the fire represents the positive aspects of family, creating a point of contrast for the embedded narrative. Few stories are told at this meeting, and the characters’ stories also reflect their months. For example, June tells a romantic story, evoking summer flings, carefree feelings, and beach reads. Likewise, October tells a ghost story, a typical October occurrence.

Classic ghost stories rely on frightening encounters with the supernatural; the living are haunted from beyond the grave and confronted with the unknown. Central to this genre are ghosts, who are often bent on exacting revenge and wreaking havoc. The protagonists in ghost stories usually find comfort in their living companions and family, and there is a resolution when the ghost finds peace, achieves revenge, or finishes whatever they did not achieve in life. The tension between living and dead is often symbolized by a haunted house, which juxtaposes the prospect of a safe haven (with the living) with the danger of ghosts and the unknown. In October’s story, Gaiman inverts these tropes, providing readers with a friendly ghost and a troubled boy who fears his family, who should provide comfort. The Runt’s troubled home life represents the other end of the spectrum in the Family Ties theme.

The Runt is terrorized by his older twin brothers, shunned by his peers, and neglected by his parents. This mistreatment is embodied by his nickname, which dehumanizes him by comparing him to the smallest and weakest member of an animal litter. This threads the theme The Power of Names into the embedded narrative. He feels out of place and miserable and eventually runs away, defeated by the constant unpleasantness of his life. His home life parallels the struggles of characters occupying haunted houses, who become increasingly terrorized by the ghosts in their home. 

In supernatural narratives, the protagonist is often at odds with ghosts or monsters. They may try to gain control of a haunted house, exorcize a demon, or at least find a compromise for coexistence. However, in “October in the Chair,” Dearly and the Runt do not have a conflict and instead become friends, coexisting from the start. Dearly’s characterization strays from classic depictions of ghosts. He is an innocent child looking for a playmate, not a monster. He does the opposite of what most ghosts do in these stories, becoming a friend and source of comfort and support to the Runt. He shows him the town, acts as his guide, and provides advice. The antagonistic role is instead occupied by the Runt’s family. They make his life miserable, and he does not see a future that he can enjoy with them in it. He needs to escape to be himself and dreams of a better life in which he travels, becomes wealthy, and shows his family his true potential.

Therefore, in this ghost story, the conflict stems from relationships with the living, and the Runt fears a constrictive and never-changing life. The Runt can dream of a better future, but the specter of reality haunts him. He knows that his escape is temporary and that he will be found and dragged back to his family, where he will experience the same or worse treatment. This leads him to contemplate staying with Dearly, as both describe their time together as perfect. However, their childlike bonding is tinged by the story’s dark mood. The existence of a child ghost in itself is bleak because it implies a life cut short. The Runt’s longing for Dearly’s freedom and companionship illuminates the distress he feels at home; while the text doesn’t state it outright, wishing to become a ghost means wanting to die. While the Runt may not have the future he wants as a ghost, he finds it better to have a friend than his family. 

Dearly’s name has been forgotten—he uses the inscription from his epitaph as his name—creating a parallel between him and the Runt. Dearly’s lack of a genuine name also suggests that the Runt will not find what he seeks in death; Dearly is no more self-actualized than the Runt is now. This creates a sense of pessimism or hopelessness, which is deepened when Runt enters the abandoned farmhouse that has haunted the background of the entire story. The farmhouse represents the dark choices that the Runt must face. When he first arrives in the town, he cannot bring himself to enter its dark and daunting halls. However, after a night with Dearly and seriously contemplating his future, he is able to enter the house. The house remains mysterious and foreboding as there is no indication about what actually resides there, only that it can help the Runt become a ghost. The Runt chooses to go into the farmhouse because he sees it as a true escape. This subverts classic coming-of-age tropes because the Runt envisions death as the solution to his problems. His powerlessness to otherwise change his circumstances highlights the theme The Limitations of Youth.

The Runt doesn’t see anything in the house but believes he hears something. The narrator does not provide any more details than the darkness, which cannot be pierced, not even in the growing morning light. The darkness represents danger and Runt’s desperation. By the end of the tale, he feels that the dark, mysterious house will lead to a better future than returning to his family would. The Runt’s story ends with a cliffhanger as he enters the house, creating a sense of foreboding and dissonance as the story does not resolve. In the frame story, the mood parallels this sadness and discomfort, and the other months decline to share more stories. Some months, like June, want a conclusion, while others understand that it may be better not to have an answer. They and the reader must contemplate what will happen to the Runt and whether he made the right decision. Only one month, November, speaks with October afterward, and he notes that his own stories are always too dark. This last exchange foreshadows the coming gloom of winter, and while October comforts November that it’s simply his nature, the inevitable long, cold nights insinuate that the Runt will face a similar darkness after entering the house.