The Last Leaf

Summary:

In the short story, “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry, there is a stranger that comes wondering into the town of Greenwich Village. It is a woman who is very sick and seeks out help from a doctor, from whom she is told that she has pneumonia. She is a traveling woman who doesn’t have money or a place to stay. However she meets Johnsy who invites her to stay at her place. While she stays there, this stranger is trying to get well on her own because she cant afford medical help. Outside of Johnsy’s apartment there is a tree. As the weather got progressively colder, all the leaves fell off except for one. Neither of the women could figure out why, although Johnsy claimed it was to remind her of something bad that she has done in the past. At the end of the story, the doctor dies on the day that the last leaf falls.

Commentary:

I liked this story. I think it was well written and had a clear delivery of the plot. I like how the reader doesn’t really know the stranger’s name. I also thought it was interesting how the two women had such different personalities, but were able to live together without any problems for a long time. However, I felt the ending to be a little cliché. “He painted it there the night that the last leaf fell." The doctor dies on the same day that the last leaf falls, I thought that was a very expected ending. Especially after such a strong story, I think the ending was weak.

Social Triangle

Summary:

There was once a lower class man by the name of Ikey Snigglefritz. He worked as a tailor's apprentice and earned almost nothing. He worked very hard, but after work he had as much fun as he could. It was a Saturday, and he decided to go to Cafe Maginnis because his idol, Billy McMahan, went there often. He gazed at him for a while, and eventually gathered the courage to greet him. After shaking hands and using all his money to order a drink, Ikey felt like the luckiest person in the world and even his family reprimanding him for spending his little money didn't bother him.

Billy then went out to dinner with his wife and spotted his idol, Cortlandt Van Duyckink, who was at the very top of society. Billy gathered the courage to go say hello and thank him for looking to help the poor in his district. After shaking hands and exchanging greetings, Billy felt like the luckiest person in the world. He even tried to order drinks for the entire restaurant.

While driving home in his car, Cortlandt studied the poverty of the neighborhood. He spoke of all the soup kitchens he'd opened, but hoped to do even more to help the poor. He spotted a very poor looking man, left his car, and went up to him to shake his hand. He told the man that he wishes to know him and help him as much as possible. He then felt nearer to being a happy person. He'd shaken the hand of Ikey Snigglefritz.

Commentary:

I didn't really like this story much when I first read it, but after thinking about it for a little while, it grew on me. I didn't like it at first because I thought the ending of Cortlandt shaking hands with Ikey was very predictable, considering the story is called "Social Triangle." When I thought about it, however, I came to the conclusion that it didn't matter that it was predictable because it was a cute idea and O. Henry did a great job of portraying how everyone has different ideals and things that make them happy, depending on who they are. I also liked how the most "successful" of the three was the least happy, though he had used his money for good and done so much to help the poor. He showed that it is much easier to be happy and feel like the luckiest person in the world when poor, but a lot harder to feel happy when you are rich. I also thought it was cute how obviously different he made each of their names to go with their social classes: from Ikey Snigglefritz, to Billy McMahan, to Cortlandt Van Duyckink. As he did in his other stories we've read so far, O. Henry used his usual humorous and conversational tone. One example of this is when he wrote "Ikey was a tailor's apprentice. Are there tailor's apprentices nowadays?" I also like his word choice in some parts of the story, for it almost sounded like a poem. One example is when he described Ikey's work. He says he "toiled and snipped and basted and pressed and patched and sponged all day in the steamy fetor of a tailor-shop." Overall, I really enjoyed the irony and message of this short and sweet short-story.

The Day Resurgent

Summary: O. Henry’s short story, “The Day Resurgent,” tells the story of a simple man who paints and writes. He goes to an Easter party and meets people there, who all have different views on religion. He spends the majority of the party alone and then comes into contact with different men from different backgrounds. They begin to talk about religion and all debate their beliefs. The entire story is at the same party and just goes into detail about what the characters think.
Description: I liked the concept of the story, however not the way it was carried out. A lot of the literary terms and vocabulary made the story very complicated to understand. For example, "The sorrows of the hand-toiler fit him easily." Without that word choice, I think the story would be more effective. I believe O.Henry’s message was that people can have very different views on the same subject. There are different ways to portray aspects of religion, and people should be open to hearing about it without it becoming an argument. I also noticed that O.Henry used a lot of imagery in his writing. I think for some parts of the story it was good placement. However for other parts of the story I think should have had more dialogue than visual writing.

The Gift of the Magi

Plot Summary:

A couple lives in a flat with very little money. Their only treasures are the watch of the young man and the hair of the lady. The lady wants to get Jim, the young man, a present, but she only has a dollar and eighty seven cents. She decides to sacrifice her hair for him in order to get him a better present, so she sells her beautiful treasure and buys him a chain for his watch. She anxiously waits at home for Jim, hoping he will still love her without her beautiful hair. When he gets home, all he can do is stare at her. It turns out that he had bought her some beautiful combs for christmas, which she can no longer use since her hair is gone. Then, when Della, the lady, shows Jim the present she got for him, it turns out that he has no use for it either. Della had gotten him a chain for his watch, which he had sold to buy her combs for her hair. O. Henry concludes to say that though what the two foolish children did was unwise, they are wise because they are the magi. The magi, he says, are men whom invented the art of giving christmas presents.

Thoughts on the Crafting of the Story:

He narrates the story as if he is a sports commentator. One example of this is when he says "While the mistress of the home is gradually subsiding from the first stage to the second, take a look at the home. A furnished flat at $8 per week." This "sports-commentator" style was also portrayed in "The Princess and the Puma." He also shows the situation by giving examples that show not tell. For example, when he says "In the vestibule below was a letter-box into which no letter would go, and an electric button which no mortal finger could coax a ring." This clues that whoever lives in this place is not very social without him having to straight-out say "They are not social." Money is a constant them; it is mentioned in every other sentence throughout the first half of the story. The similes he uses are extremely original and paint a clear picture. One example of a unique simile he uses is "So now Della's beautiful hair fell about her rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters." I really like this simile because I can clearly imagine Della's long, luscious hair falling in ripples like water. This story, like the last one, was cute, funny, light, and original. It also had a twist ending, similar to the last one.

The Princess and the Puma - O. Henry

Plot Summary:

There was once a King and a Queen. They gave birth to a beautiful, talented child whom they named Josefa. She was a wonderful huntress and loved to explore on her pony. There was also a knight by the name of Ripley Givens. He very much wanted to be with Josefa, so when he saw her in the woods one day, about to be attacked by a notorious lion, he jumped in between them. Instead of thanking him, the princess was angry, for she'd been about to shoot it and he'd almost ruined her shot. The knight, not wanting to lose her favor, quickly came up with an explanation. He said that the lion had been his pet, and he'd risked his life trying to save it from her shot. This caused the princess to feel guilty, and so she begged Givens for forgiveness. They then rode back to her house together on a horse and Givens dropped her off with the king. Once she was alone with the king, she boasted to him about her beautiful shot, which had hit the notorious lion. So as it turns out, she had known that it wasn't a pet all along, she'd just gone with Given's story.

Thoughts on the Crafting of the Story:

I really liked the way this story was crafted. It was extremely unique, for it was basically written as a story teller would say it. There were many explanations and funny comments throughout, such as "There had to be a king and a queen of course," which was the first line in the story. He also states some alternate titles for the story in the middle of the first page. He describes things in a very peculiar way as well, for example, when he writes, "It is well to be reasonably watchful when a Mexican lion sings soprano along the arroyos at sundown. The burden of his song may be that young calves and fat lambs are scarce, and that he has a carnivorous desire for your acquaintance." This is a very interesting, unique, and strange way to describe a hungry lion. The plot is very simple, but comical. The story was written in third-person past-tense and has constant interruptions, that significantly enrich the plot. I think that if there had been no interruptions, the story would have been much less interesting, even with the surprise ending. One quote, which exemplifies the humor in this story, is, "'I've always loved 'em,' said he; 'horses, dogs, Mexican lions, cows, alligators-' 'I hate alligators,' Instantly demurred Josefa; 'Crawly. muddily things!' 'Did I say alligators?' said Givens, 'I meant antelopes of course.'" There is also a bit of foreshadowing. For example, while Givens is being attacked by the lion, the author interrupts the scene, saying "the 'rucus' as Givens called it afterward, was brief and somewhat confused." This quote implies there there indeed is an afterward for Givens. Overall, I really enjoyed this story. It's light and funny, and it has to do with what we have been studying in history this year. I hope you get a chance to read it!

O. Henry

Welcome to out blog.

In this blog, we will give a brief summary of a few of O. Henry's short stories as well as our thoughts on the crafting of the story. We will also include a quotation for each, illustrating theme, symbolism, style, etc.

Enjoy :)