8/15/2019 o Henry Continuaton

1/4

Roads of Destiny

O. Henry is interested as well in what might be called the moment of choice: the

decision to act, speak, or dress in a way which seems to determine the whole course of

a life. The title story of the volumeRoads of Destiny, a story allegorical in nature,suggests that the choice is not so much among different fates as among different

versions of the same fate. Environment, in short, determines character, unless some

modicum of self-sacrificing love as in “The Gift of the Magi” intervenes. More concretely,

O. Henry saw poverty and exploitation as the twin evils of urban life. Often cited for his

sympathetic portrayal of the underpaid store clerk who struggles to survive, he is, as

well, a biting critic of those who perpetuate an inhumane system to satisfy personal

greed or lust. “An Unfinished Story,” for example, castigates an aging lady-killer who is

“a connoisseur in starvation. He could look at a shop-girl and tell you to an hour how

long it had been since she had eaten anything more nourishing than marshmallows and

tea.” Piggy, with whom O. Henry himself ruefully identified, preyed on shop girls by

offering them invitations to dinner. The working girl might thus keep her conscience and

starve, or sell herself and eat: This was her condition as well as her choice.

• Biography

 

•

Critical Essays ▻

 

• Analysis

 

• Teacher Resources  ▻

 

• More  ▻

O. Henry Essay - O. Henry Short Fiction Analysis

O. Henry Short Fiction Analysis

• print Print

 

• document PDF 

• list Cite

http://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henryhttp://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry/critical-essayshttp://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry/critical-essayshttp://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry/critical-essayshttp://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry/in-depthhttp://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry/critical-essays/analysis-1http://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry/critical-essays/analysis-1http://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry/critical-essays/analysis-1http://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry/critical-essays/analysis-1http://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry/critical-essays/analysis-1http://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry/critical-essays/analysis-1http://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry/critical-essays/analysis-1http://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry/critical-essays/analysis-1http://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry/critical-essays/analysis-1http://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry/critical-essays/analysis-1http://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry/critical-essays/analysis-1http://popup%28%27/topics/o-henry/critical-essays/analysis-1/cite',%20500,500);http://popup%28%27/topics/o-henry/critical-essays/analysis-1/cite',%20500,500);http://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry/critical-essayshttp://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry/in-depthhttp://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry/critical-essays/analysis-1http://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry/critical-essays/analysis-1http://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry/critical-essays/analysis-1http://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry/critical-essays/analysis-1http://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry/critical-essays/analysis-1http://popup%28%27/topics/o-henry/critical-essays/analysis-1/cite',%20500,500);http://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry

8/15/2019 o Henry Continuaton

2/4

 

• link Link 

O. Henrys !i"ely #arie" $ackgroun" pro#i"e" not only plots %or his tales $ut also characters"ra!n %ro& all !alks o% li%e. Ha& in 'The Hi"ing o% Black Chie%() Caesar in 'A Municipal

Report() an" Li**ie in 'The +uilty Party) are only isolate" e,a&ples o% O. Henrys pro%iciencyin creating a #i#i" sense o% the te,ture o% language %or the rea"er $y repro"ucing nati#e "ialect(

 $e it -estern( southern( or e#en 'e! /orkese.) This linguistic sensiti#ity contri$utes to O.Henrys #ersatility as a local colorist( as "oes his literary sel%0e"ucation. Echoes o% CharlesDickens appear in 'Elsie in e! /ork() allusions to +reek an" Ro&an &ythology in 'Hygeia atthe 1olito) an" 'The Re%or&ation o% Calliope() an" paro"ic re%erences to Arthur Conan Doyle in'The A"#enture o% 1ha&rock 2olnes.)

O. Henrys popularity ste&s not only %ro& his "epiction o% co&&onplace e#ents an" hu&anresponses $ut also %ro& the surprise en"ings o% his '!ell0&a"e) plots. Talente" as an ironist( he

 $oth co&&ents upon an" sy&pathi*es !ith the ranch han"s( $ank clerks( an" shop girls !hose

sorro!s an" %oi$les he re0creates. -hile &uch o% his hu&or re"oun"s %ro& his likely use o% punsan" literary allusions( &uch &ight $e calle" the hu&or o% recognition3the rue%ul grin thatoccurs !hen a rea"er sees his or her o!n petty %la!s &irrore" in a character an" pre"icts theine#ita$le "o!n%all. The "o!n%all( ho!e#er( is o%ten gi#en the co&ic turn !hich &a"e O. Henry%a&ous. 4i" Bra"y in '5anity an" 1o&e 1a$les() %or e,a&ple( !oul" rather go to 6ail %or thethe%t o% %urs than tell his girl%rien" that her 'Russian sa$les) cost 789.:; in a $argain $ase&ent<Mai"a( the shop girl in 'The Purple Dress) !ho 'star#es eight &onths to $ring a purple "ress an"a holi"ay together() gi#es up her care%ully garnere" &oney to sa#e a spen"thri%t %rien" %ro&e#iction. Molly sacri%ices her %urs3an" her #anity3to pro#e 4i"s honesty( an" Mai"a isout"one $y her tailor in generosity so that she gets $oth her "ress an" the &arriagea$le hea"clerk= These are the t!ist en"ings that turn &inor personal trage"ies into co&ic triu&phs.

“The Gift of the Magi”

Possi$ly one o% the &ost anthologi*e" o% O. Henrys stories is 'The +i%t o% the Magi() a talea$out the re"ee&ing po!er o% lo#e. The protagonists( a couple na&e" 2a&es an" Della /oung(struggle to li#e on a s&all salary. By Christ&as E#e( Dellas thri%t has gaine" her only 79.>? %orher hus$an"s gi%t( !hich she ha" hope" !oul" $e 'so&ething %ine an" rare an" sterling.) 1he"eci"es to sell one o% the %a&ily 'treasures)3her long( $eauti%ul chestnut hair3to $uy a

 platinu& chain %or her hus$an"s pri*e" possession( his !atch. The %irst re#ersal is that he has $ought her a set o% pure tortoiseshell co&$s !ith !hich to a"orn her long hair< the secon"( thathe has sol" his !atch to "o so.

@n this story a$out the true spirit o% gi%t0gi#ing( $oth the %a&ily treasures an" the protagoniststake on Ol" Testa&entary signi%icance. Dellas hair( the rea"er is tol"( puts the ueen o% 1he$as!ealth to sha&e< 2i&s !atch ri#als all o% 1olo&ons gol". Both unsel%ishly sacri%ice their &ost

 precious possession %or the other( there$y ushering in a ne! "ispensation on Christ&as E#e.E#en &ore( these 't!o %oolish chil"ren) acuire allegorical #alue in their act o% gi#ing inso%ar asthey replicate the gi#ing o% the three !ise &en= 'O% all !ho gi#e an" recei#e gi%ts( such as theyare the !isest() O. Henry tells us= 'They are the &agi.) @n O. Henrys #ersion( then( the '+i%t o%the Magi) turns out not to $e gol"( %rankincense( or &yrrh( not e#en hair0co&$s or a !atch chain(

 $ut rather sel%less lo#e.

“Past One at Rooney’s”

http://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry/critical-essays/analysis-1#critical-essays-analysis-1http://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry/critical-essays/analysis-1#critical-essays-analysis-1http://www.enotes.com/topics/o-henry/critical-essays/analysis-1#critical-essays-analysis-1

8/15/2019 o Henry Continuaton

3/4

This lo#e is !hat O. Henry posits as a cure %or such social ills as the ine#ita$le gang %ights an" prostitution he portrays in his e! /ork stories. @n 'Past One at Rooneys() a tale intro"uce" as a&o"ern retelling o% -illia& 1hakespeares Romeo and Juliet  c. 9::09:( a gangster( hi"ing%ro& the police( %alls in lo#e !ith a prostitute. They lie a$out their occupations %or the sake o% theother= E""ie MacManus preten"s to $e the son o% a -all 1treet $roker( !hile Fanny clai&s to $ea %actory girl. -hen a police&an recogni*es MacManus( ho!e#er( she gi#es up her ne! i"entity

to pre#ent the arrest. Pulling her nights &oney out o% her garter( she thro!s it at the police&anan" announces that MacManus is her procurer. Once they are allo!e" to lea#e( MacManuscon%esses that he really is !ante" $y the police $ut inten"s to re%or&< an" seeing that she stilllo#es hi&( sa#es her as she ha" 'sa#e") hi& $y sacri%icing her hope"0%or respecta$ility through&arriage. 1uch stories o% the 'gol"en0hearte" prostitute) are plenti%ul in the O. Henry canon an"in the&sel#es pro#i"e another clue to O. Henrys popularity3his e&phasis on the re&nant o%hu&an co&passion in the &ost cynical o% characters.

Roads of Destiny

O. Henry is intereste" as !ell in !hat &ight $e calle" the &o&ent o% choice= the "ecision to act(

speak( or "ress in a !ay !hich see&s to "eter&ine the !hole course o% a li%e. The title story o%the #olu&e Roads of Destiny( a story allegorical in nature( suggests that the choice is not so&uch a&ong "i%%erent %ates as a&ong "i%%erent #ersions o% the sa&e %ate. En#iron&ent( in short("eter&ines character( unless so&e &o"icu& o% sel%0sacri%icing lo#e as in 'The +i%t o% the Magi)inter#enes. More concretely( O. Henry sa! po#erty an" e,ploitation as the t!in e#ils o% ur$anli%e. O%ten cite" %or his sy&pathetic portrayal o% the un"erpai" store clerk !ho struggles tosur#i#e( he is( as !ell( a $iting critic o% those !ho perpetuate an inhu&ane syste& to satis%y

 personal gree" or lust. 'An Gn%inishe" 1tory() %or e,a&ple( castigates an aging la"y0killer !ho is'a connoisseur in star#ation. He coul" look at a shop0girl an" tell you to an hour ho! long it ha"

 $een since she ha" eaten anything &ore nourishing than &arsh&allo!s an" tea.) Piggy( !ith!ho& O. Henry hi&sel% rue%ully i"enti%ie"( preye" on shop girls $y o%%ering the& in#itations to

"inner. The !orking girl &ight thus keep her conscience an" star#e( or sell hersel% an" eat= This!as her con"ition as !ell as her choice.

“The Trimmed Lamp”

-here a choice nee" not $e &a"e through hunger alone is the &i""le &oral groun" on !hich&any o% O. Henrys stories take place. 'The Tri&&e" La&p() the titular story o% another #olu&e(suggests t!o opposing !ays to "eal !ith an e,ploitati#e econo&ic syste&. ancy( a country girlcontent to !ork %or s&all !ages in a "epart&ent store( &i&ics not only the uietly elegant "ress

 $ut also the &anners o% her !ealthy custo&ers( !hile her %rien" Lou( a highly pai" laun"ry presser( spen"s &ost o% her &oney on e,pensi#e( conspicuous clothing. ancy e,ploits the

syste& $y e"ucating hersel% in the $est it has to o%%er< Lou !orks %or the syste& an" pro%its&onetarily. @n the long run ancys e"ucation teaches her the "i%%erence $et!een purchase"uality( such as the clothes Lou !ears( an" intrinsic uality( !hich cannot $e $ought. 1he re%usesan o%%er o% &arriage %ro& a &illionaire $ecause he is a liar= As O. Henry !rites( 'the "ollar0&arkgre! $lurre" in her &in"s eye( an" shape" itsel% into such !or"s as truth an" honor an" no!an" then 6ust kin"ness.) Lou( in contrast( $eco&es the &istress o% a !ealthy &an( lea#ing heruiet( serious %iancIe to ancy. The %inal #ignette( a plainly clothe" $ut #i$rantly happy ancytrying to co&%ort her so$$ing( %ashiona$ly "resse" %rien"( illustrates the "i#ergence $et!een their t!o philosophies. -hile neither can escape co&pletely %ro& the econo&ic syste&( ancyre%uses to &easure hu&an !orth in &onetary ter&s< instea"( she a"opts the sa&e set o% #alues

 posite" in 'The +i%t o% the Magi.)

“The Ransom of Red Chief”

8/15/2019 o Henry Continuaton

4/4

Many o% the stories O. Henry !rites are uite outsi"e the &oral %ra&e!ork that is suggeste" in'The Tri&&e" La&p.) Like others !ritten a$out the 'gentle gra%ters) !hich populate" thenether si"e o% his !orl"( the story o% 'The Ranso& o% Re" Chie%) is o% the '$iter $it) #ariety. O.Henrys hu&orous %ocus on the pro$le&s that t!o ki"nappers ha#e !ith their charge3are"haire" #ersion o% To& 1a!yer !ith the sa&e un%lagging energy %or &ischie%3"e%lects the&oral uestion a$out the cri&inal action. 2ohnny en6oys his a"#enture< he styles hi&sel% Re"

Chie% an" tries to scalp one o% his captors at "ay$reak( then ri"es hi& to the stocka"e to 'rescue)settlers( %ee"s hi& oats( an" !orries hi& !ith uestions a$out !hy holes are e&pty. His %athersreply to a "e&an" %or ranso& sho!s that he un"erstan"s who is in capti#ity< he o%%ers to take hisson $ack %or a su& o% 78:;.

The Gentle Grafter

1i&ilarly( the e,ploits recounte" in The Gentle Grafter  are &o"ern tall tales( the heroes at ti&esacuiring a &ythological aura( at ti&es appearing to $e no "i%%erent %ro& the a#erage &an on thestreet. +ra%ting( in short( is an occupation !hich carries the sa&e co"e o% responsi$ilities as anylegiti&ate $usiness( as is &a"e clear in '1hearing the -ol%.) -hen t!o con &en( 2e%% Peters an"

An"y Tucker( "isco#er that the lea"ing har"!are &erchant in to!n inten"s to %rustrate so&eoneelses sche&e to sell %orge" &oney( they agree that they cannot 'stan" still an" see a &an !hohas $uilt up a $usiness $y his o!n e%%orts an" $rains an" risk $e ro$$e" $y an unscrupuloustrickster.) The t!ist is that the 'trickster) is the &erchant an" the '$usiness&an) is the %orger.

@n a nu&$er o% respects( then( O. Henry contri$ute" i&&easura$ly to the "e#elop&ent o% theA&erican short story. To $e sure( &any o% his !orks are consi"ere" ephe&eral to"ay( pri&arily

 $ecause they %irst appeare" as &aga*ine %iction< $ut a care%ul perusal re#eals that $ehin" thehu&or lies the &irror o% the social re%or&er. @n the characters an" situations one notices co&&onhu&an pro$le&s o% the $eginning o% the t!entieth century< in the hu&or one notices the atte&ptto "eal !ith apparently insur&ounta$le social pro$le&s. -ith his cle#er plot re#ersals( O. Henry

"oes &ore than create a ne! story %or&< he keeps the rea"er ali#e to the connotations o%language an" a!are that in a !orl" "o&inate" $y an un%air econo&ic syste&( hu&an kin"ness&ay $e the ans!er.