“The Boarded Window” begins and ends in “an immense and almost unbroken forest” (Paragraph 1). Forests are the home of deep shadow, predators and, perhaps, even more mysterious and dangerous forces. By setting his story here, in a lonely decrepit cabin in the middle of forbidding woods, Bierce creates a somber, eerie mood and a sense of foreboding.

The cabin’s boarded window immediately lets readers know that something has gone wrong: Something has clearly invaded or otherwise assailed the cabin, and its inhabitant has not been able to fully fix the damage. We also see that nature has started to reclaim this ostensible human outpost: Bushes grow in the clearing and. This adds to the sense of mystery and uncertainty, increasing the story’s tension.

The cabin’s inhabitant, a taciturn prematurely wizened old man named Murlock, has given up: “the man's zeal for agriculture had burned with a failing flame, expiring in penitential ashes” (Paragraph 1). His neighbors know little about him, which makes his presence unsettling. His silence, premature aging, and sudden death add to the mystery—something no one can unravel since they knew neither him nor his long-dead wife.