BIOGRAPHY AND WRITING STYLE William Sydney Porter September

BIOGRAPHY AND WRITING STYLE

William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862 – June 5, 1910) - better known by his pen name O. Henry - an American short story writer. - was born in Greensboro, North Carolina - graduated from his aunt's elementary school in 1876 - enrolled at the Lindsey Street High School - started working in his uncle's drugstore in Greensboro - at the age of 19, Porter was licensed as a pharmacist - traveled to Texas in 1882, hoping that a change of air would help alleviate a persistent cough - In April 1894, Porter began publishing a humorous weekly The Rolling Stone in Austin - was dismissed from the bank and brought to court due to a shortage - hid for six months from law enforcement in Honduras, in South America - returned to care for his sick wife soon she passed away - in 1898 he was convicted of embezzlement (possibly false) and imprisoned in Ohio Columbus (March 1898), where he spent three years and four days (until 1901) - At the end of his life, Porter suffered from cirrhosis and diabetes. Porter died on June 5, 1910 in New York at the age of 47. He was buried in Asheville, North Carolina, at Riverside Cemetery.

1) The name Henry was taken from the column of secular news in the newspaper, the initial O. was chosen as the simplest letter. 2) O. stands for Olivier (French name Olivier), and indeed, he published several short stories there under the name Olivier Henry. 3) This is the name of the famous French pharmacist Etienne Ocean Henry (Etienne Ocean Henry), whose medical directory was popular at the time. 4) Another hypothesis was put forward by the writer and scientist Guy Davenport: “O. Henry ” is nothing more than an abbreviation of the prison name where the author sat Ohio Penitentiary.

- His first collection of stories, Cabbage and Kings (1904), made him a popular hero. - used his own experiences as ideas for stories. - loved New York City and knew how to describe it for Americans who lived in other parts of the country. - wrote in an easy-to-understand, journalistic style - His stories begin with action and move quickly toward their conclusion. They are filled with deep, loving portraits of the lives of ordinary people. - Like Twain, he takes the side of the “little people” and the weak “under-dogs” against the strong or important. - The plots often seem to be written according to a formula. One such formula is the “reversal”: an action by a character produces the opposite effect from the one he had been hoping for. - Another O. Henry formula is to keep an important piece of information from the reader until the very end (as in The Gift qf the Magi, 1906).

THE GIFT OF THE MAGI

The Gift of the Magi" was originally published in 1906, in O. Henry's second collection of short stories, The Four Million. "The Gift of the Magi" is probably his greatest hit, and displays all of the major O. Henry traits in abundance. Since it was first published, it's buried itself deep in popular culture. It's been retold in countless stories, magazine columns, TV specials, musicals, movies, parodies, you name it. It's also one of those classic "Christmas stories" that people usually read during the holidays. "

Plot Summary The story tells of a young married couple, James, known as Jim, and Della Dillingham. The couple has very little money and there are only two possessions that they consider their treasures: Jim's gold pocket watch and Della's lustrous, long hair that falls almost to her knees. It's Christmas Eve, and Della has little money to put toward Jim's Christmas present. She wants to buy Jim a chain for his pocket watch. After a sudden inspiration, she has her hair cut to sell. Della receives $20. 00 for selling her hair, just enough to buy the platinum chain she saw in a shop window. When Jim comes home from work, he stares at Della, trying to figure out what's different about her. She admits that she sold her hair to buy his present. Jim pulls a package out of his overcoat pocket and hands it to her. Inside, Della finds a pair of costly decorative hair combs that she'd long admired. Hiding her tears, she jumps up and holds out her gift for Jim: the watch chain. The story ends with a comparison of Jim and Della's gifts to the gifts that the Magi, or three wise men, gave to Baby Jesus in the manger in the biblical story of Christmas. The narrator concludes that Jim and Della are far wiser than the Magi because their gifts are gifts of love, and those who give out of love and self-sacrifice are truly wise because they know the value of self-giving love.

Analysis While The Gift of the Magi certainly falls in the fictional short story genre, it employs what could be called a sub-genre of "dramatic irony. " Dramatic irony is where the reader learns a secret that the main character(s) don't know about yet. Without the other knowing, both traded their most valuable possessions (priceless) for a gift that could no longer be used by the other because that person gave up their own possession. We wish we could stop Della from selling her hair, or Jim from selling his watch, but we can't. That's what makes for an engaging storyline that keeps us hooked. We want to know how they'll react when they find out.

Themes • "Gift of the Magi" is the story of a poor, young couple whose love for each love other is the most important thing in their lives. Such is their love that they're led to sacrifice their most valuable possessions to find Christmas gifts for each other. The warm home they make together contrasts with the drabness of their poverty and the dreary world outside. sacrifice • The story seems to be all about sacrifice. The story's narrator assures us that in their willingness to give up all they have, they have proven themselves the wisest of all gift-givers. It might remain unclear, though, exactly what their sacrifice has accomplished, or how it has affected them. wealth • In many ways, "Gift of the Magi" is a story about what it means for something to be valuable. Are there things that are more valuable than money? The main characters are very poor – this is repeatedly emphasized – and yet the story suggests that their love for each other makes them very rich. It is that love, which motivates them to give up the only things of monetary (or personal) value they have to buy presents for each other.

THE LAST LEAF

It was published in 1907 in his collection The Trimmed Lamp and Other Stories. The story is the 3 rd person narrative. Though the author desribes the events in a specific way, still he sounds rather impersonal and objective. Settings: Early 20 th century. Author describes a peculiar little district in New York, Greenwich Village, which dragged in many artists. Main characters: • Johnsy • Sue • Mr. Behrman

Plot Summary Two artisits, Johnsy and Sue, met by chance, found their tastes in art similar and decided to rent a room in this district. One day Johnsy falls ill of pneumonia. Though the doctor says that the only thing that can improve Johnsy's condition is her desire to live, looking at an old ivy vine, she decides that she'll die once the last leaf falls. Sue tells old Behrman, a painter who lives on the ground floor beneath them, of her friend's fancy and it shocks him so much that a poor girl can think of such stupid things. Next day after the beating rain one leaf still hangs from the branch. Seeing this, Johnsy gradually recovers. When the doctor comes to check up Johnsy's health, he mentions that old Behrman has also fallen ill with pneumonia. As it turns out later the old man painted his masterpiece - an old ivy vine with one leaf on it right in front of the window of the young artist. And for Johnsy's salvation he had to sacrifice his life.

The main characters Johnsy is “a little woman with blood thinned”. She faced such a terrible disease as Pneumonia and wasn`t able to struggle with it, she was ready to die. She imagined that she like that ivy leaf wasn`t ready to come over her destiny. As she saw that the last leaf on an old ivy vine fights with nature for its life, she realized that "it's a sin to want to die". Her character shows us the power of mental attitude and hope. Sue was strong enough to help her friend. She didn`t give up her friend for a minute, she was eager to help her mentally not even physically. She tried to make her believe in herself and forget the silly idea about the last leaf. That character gives us an idea of true friendship and compassion.

Describing Mr. Behrman the author uses such vivid epithets as “a fierce little old man”, “a horrid old – old flibbertigibbet”. He scoffed terribly at softness in any one. Instead of author`s words to Mr. Behrman we see that he is very noble person having strong character. During all his life he wanted to paint his masterpiece but didn’t really got round to it. His long-desired masterpiece was painted only when Johnsy was about to die. Here the word “masterpiece” means not a picture but his brave action in order to save person`s life. The last leaf on the wall is hope and life which he left to not only Johnsy, but also readers.

The main ideas • The story supports the idea that sacrifice, true human relationships, compassion do exist in our world. • The message is to show that appearances are deceiving and one should judge people only by their actions as old Behrman behaves fierce and aggressive but nevertheless he is like “mastiff-inwaiting to protect”. • Another theme of the story is the power of hope which shows that a diseased mind is even more harmful than the disease itself. It is reflected in the doctor`s words: “I will do all that science, so far as it may filter through my efforts, can accomplish. But whenever my patient begins to count the carriages in her funeral procession I subtract 50 per cent from the curative power of medicines. ”

THE COP AND THE ANTHEM

It was first published in 1904 and was later included in The Four Million, O. Henry's collection of short stories. "The Cop and the Anthem" covers one night and one morning in the life of Soapy, a homeless man living in New York City in the early 1900 s. Although told in a humorous lighthearted style, Soapy's story is rather brutal and nightmarish.

Plot summary Soapy lives in Madison Square Park. Now that winter is coming, the park will be too cold. So, Soapy decides to get himself arrested so he can spend the winter in a warm jail. He tries everything: he attempts to get in jail by eating in a restaurant and then refusing to pay for the meal, he breaks a shop window, pretends to hit up on a lady, right in front of a cop, acts drank and yells on the street and even steals a man's umbrella claiming it's his. But all his attempts are unsuccessful. Soapy gives up trying to get arrested and heads back to his park bench. On the way, he comes to a quiet street with a church on it. He hears a beautiful anthem being played on an organ. Soapy knows the anthem and it reminds him of past days when he had family and friends and church. The anthem creates a huge change in Soapy's soul. He realizes that he can have a better life than this. Inspired and feeling empowered, Soapy begins making plans for the future. Soapy's thoughts are interrupted by the long arm of the law. The policeman arrests Soapy for loitering (not having a place to live or a way to support yourself). The next morning, a judge sentences Soapy to three months in jail.

The themes • Freedom: O. Henry turns this theme upside-down. The story is about a free man, Soapy, trying to get thrown in jail. Over the course of the story, Soapy begins to discover that he is a prisoner of his own mind and that he can choose a better life. A life where he has more freedom and control. • Hopes and dreams: play a big role in determining the course of our lives. When we first meet Soapy his only goal is getting thrown in jail for the winter, or rather, finding food and shelter for the winter. When Soapy has his change of heart, he finds these previous goals to be shallow. He realizes he could be so much more. Immediately, Soapy starts making plans to change his life. Since the policeman interrupts his thoughts, we don't get to find out anything about the details. Still, we suspect that Soapy has some exciting goals. If he remains serious about these goals, he will probably come nearer to finding happiness and fulfillment. • Class: O. Henry may be placing a spotlight on the contrasting lives of those who live in New York. Some are wealthy or well to do and some like Soapy are down on their luck and looking at prison as being a better alternative to living on a park bench.

Further analysis • Soapy knows he could find free shelter, but he claims that such charity always comes with "humiliation" and invasions of privacy. According to Soapy, going to jail is a more dignified way to get free room and board for the winter. So, Soapy's real goal isn't jail so much as a way to get food and shelter in the least humiliating way. • "The Cop and the Anthem" doesn't judge Soapy for his lifestyle (though Soapy ultimately judges himself) nor does it romanticize it. There is lots of room for the readers to come to their own conclusions. • The title of the story suggests there are two paths that Soapy can follow. The Cop obviously represents the Island a life in prison. However the anthem played at the end in many ways represents not only who Soapy was but who he could be again. It represents a good honest life that Soapy can live on his own terms.

THE RANSOM OF RED CHIEF

"The Ransom of Red Chief" written in 1910 short story by O. Henry first published in The Saturday Evening Post. It follows two men who kidnap and attempt to ransom a wealthy Alabamian's son; eventually, the men are driven crazy by the boy's spoiled and hyperactive behavior, and pay the boy's father to take him back.

Plot Summary The criminals, Bill and Sam, come up with the kidnapping idea to finance another scheme they have in mind. They grab the 10 -year-old boy while he is playing and take him to a cave outside town. Once there, the boy nicknames himself "Red Chief“, decides he likes camping and annoys the men unceasingly with his pranks, threats, demands and rough games. The father, knowing his son's proclivities, refuses to pay, even when the kidnappers reduce the amount of the ransom in desperation. Instead, the father demands $250 to relieve the criminals of the boy. Bill and Sam agree, pay the money in relief and immediately flee the area.

The idea The story and its main idea have become a part of popular culture, with many children's television programs using a version of the story as one of their episodes. The tale is a light-hearted example of the ultimate in "poetic justice" and fortuitous intervention for the public good: the crooks had intended to use the ransom money to fund an even larger and much more elaborate scam that would likely have caused widespread monetary damage to the local populace, and so having their plans "foiled in their infancy" by Red Chief's shrewd father saves countless other honest folks from financial ruin. It has also been often used as a classic example of two ultimate comic ironies – a supposed "hostage" actually liking his abductors and enjoying being captured, and his captors getting their just deserts by having the tables turned on them, and being compelled to pay to be rid of him.

Influence "The Ransom of Red Chief" has been adapted many times. Direct adaptations include the 1952 television movie The Ransom of Red Chief starring Fred Allen and Oscar Levant (part of O. Henry's Full House), the segment "The Ransom of Red Chief" in the 1962 Soviet black-and-white comedy film Strictly Business by Leonid Gaidai. More generally, the concept of a hostage becoming too much for their captors to bear has become a familiar cultural trope.

CONCLUSION

Conclusion His short stories are known for their wit, wordplay, warm characterization and clever twist endings. He employed a dry, but yet humorous style to convey his message. The unicity of his allusions and ironies is also out of the question. None of his stories can leave the reader cold blooded. All the stories have deep sense, make you debate a matter in your mind and gave a lot of humorous affects at the same time.

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