O’Henry is perhaps my favourite author of short stories – I find his style of prose, entailing the usage of irony and twists, very gripping. Three short stories which I have read recently, and would like to analyse are – “The Ransom of Red Chief”, “The Cop and the Anthem”, and “The Last Leaf”.
The Last Leaf involves a story of three artists living in a building in a squat settlement. The protagonist Sue, is looking after her friend, Johnsy, who falls ill and loses the will to live. Johnsy decrees that she will die the day the last leaf on a creeper outside her window would fall. Mr. Berhman, a failing artist who lives in the same building, and is the subject of Sue’s painting, develops concern for Johnsy’s predicament. However, eventually, after the a solitary leaf remains on the creeper despite the strongest of winds, Johnsy realises her foolishness, and abandons the thought of dying with the last leaf. Soon, Sue and Johnsy receive news that Mr. Berhman died of pneumonia. It is revealed that Mr. Berhman got ill because he spent the night outside the building, painting a leaf onto the wall with the creeper.
In this story, the value of the life is the central theme – all of the events and characters revolve around this. What I found striking about this story is how it so tragically depicts the valiance of Mr. Berhman, whose final masterpiece had saved someone’s life. The title of the story, I believe, also had an impact on me. The title “The Last Leaf”, beautifully captures the elusive nature of life, and yet also its fragility. The description of the dwelling provides an important insight into the nature of the girls, though it is not presented in very much detail. However, from fleeting statements one can draw a conclusion about the poverty of the premises, yet the spirits of two of its inhabitants – Sue, and Mr. Berhman, remain lively and untarnished from the poverty that surrounds them.
“The Last Leaf” is the true depiction of O. Henry’s writing traits – skilful plot and twisted endings. The plot twist was very striking – rarely do we encounter, in short stories, such acts of selfless valour. The leaf becomes Berhman’s masterpiece because he paints it with the passion to save a life, the courage and determination to create art that proves life is something to enjoy and fight for. Yet it is comically tragic how Berhman lost his life in the efforts to save a life. O. Henry masterfully portrays a theme that is essential to the maintenance of the human race – friendship and selfless sacrifice. Mr. Berhman sacrifices his life so that Johnsy may not die of pessimism and disbelief. Sue, Johnsy’s friend, becomes the representation of sincere companionship and compassion, as she always stays home and does whatever she can to tend towards Johnsy. Although the three protagonists have few possessions to call their own, they survive hardship by loving and caring for one another.
“The Ransom of Red Chief” is a a story which I found thoroughly entertaining, as O. Henry masterfully uses irony to capture the calamitous humour of the predicaments the main characters – Sam and Bill. Perhaps the most striking element of the short story that underlines the plot, is the use of a satirical tone. We struggle to decide where our empathies lie – the kidnappers – Sam and Bill, who subjected themselves to the terror of a ten year old boy who loves to play-act a Red Indian, or Johnny, the ten year old who has been kidnapped. Through the comically ironic depiction of Johnny’s subjugation of Sam and Bill, O. Henry creates unexpected sympathy for the kidnappers. Our conflicting emotions highlight the satirical tone of the story, as our pre-conceived notions regarding who would be the antagonist are called into question. Sympathy is further built through the use of a familiar tone. Sam narrates in a tone of casual ease and familiarity. The use of grammatically incorrect phrases, such as “Bill and me”, compounds this effect, altogether contributing towards an image of two pitiable people desperate for money, finding themselves on the wrong side of the law, as if by some wretched mistake.
Of course, a vital element of O. Henry’s stories is the use of situational irony. This is initially developed in a striking and comic manner, as we sense that Sam and Bill are more frightened of Johnny, an agent of chaos, than Johnny is of them. Johnny’s elation at being taken away from his home is also comical and unexpected, contributing towards the ironically satirical tone of the story. The unexpected acts of aggression on the part of Johnny, such as his attempt to scalp Bill, are comically mitigated by their presentation in the form a light-hearted tone. The ironic humour is further extended as Bill lets Johnny free, only for him to return to their hideout by free will. Finally, in perhaps one of the most comically exaggerated endings, Johnny’s father, after refusing to pay the ransom demanded, asks for a sum of money if Sam and Bill wished to be relieved of Johnny. Sam and Bill, despite having a dearth of money, comply to Johnny’s father’s demands. O. Henry thus unexpectedly creates sympathy for the kidnappers through the comical use of situational irony.
What I found extremely striking in this story, is how O. Henry coolly presents the morally questionable actions of Sam, Bill, Johnny, and his father in a manner detached of any cynicism. O. Henry almost “contextualises” the criminal intentions of Sam and Bill, the aggression of Johnny, and the usurious acts of the father, so that they are justifiable, ultimately engendering sympathy. Bill endures countless ordeals in the form of Johnny’s violent acts – from being hit on the head by a brick, to being nearly scalped, without using force or threats. Sam’s comical ignorance, exemplified by his unreasonable self-adulation, and convoluted grammar, draw sympathy for a character who is so comically unwitting. Johnny’s attachment and slight fondness for his kidnappers, exemplified through the playful mannerism in which he considers his predicament, and his return to Sam and Bill’s hideout enkindles sympathy for him. Instead of condemning the misdeeds of the characters, O. Henry chooses instead to prompt the reader to consider our sense of justice – whether or not the kidnappers deserved the fate they experienced – in an ironic and satirical tone.
Perhaps my favourite of the three was “The Cop and the Anthem”. Set in a harsh New York winter, Soapy, our homeless protagonist, endeavours to gain refuge from the merciless weather by being sent to prison – where his lodge and board would be taken care of. Soapy attempts several courses of action to land himself in prison – such as trying to behave inappropriately with a woman – but is unsuccessful in his endeavours. Discouraged, Soapy sulks off and finds himself outside the gate of a church. There, Soapy hears a beautiful anthem being played within the church, and after listening to this song he resolves to turn his life around and become a functioning member of society once again. However, much to my amusement, a police officer subsequently arrests him for loitering, and he is sentenced to prison.
In “The Cop and the Anthem”, O. Henry once again weaves dark humour and satire in a situationally ironic plot. However comical and light-hearted his tone, O. Henry immediately introduces the harsh realities of homelessness and poverty, providing an insight into cruel inescapable reality faced by the inhabitants of the lower echelons of American society. Through the unfortunate ending for Soapy, O. Henry suggests that society simply forces poor people into the dire circumstances they wish to escape the most. Soapy, in his desperation, resorts to criminal acts to gain shelter, conveying the oscillatory nature of homelessness and crime, which is embedded into the condition of poverty. O. Henry also satirically presents aspirations of wealth and status, condemning a society and nation that purportedly provides everyone with the opportunity to be successful, yet deprives the lower classes of any such hope. Through the officer’s arrest of soapy, O. Henry cynically suggests the futility of reform for the underprivileged, censuring a hypocritical society that benefits only the wealthy. The motif of wealth and status is extended through the description of an expensive restaurant – Soapy’s tattered clothes in sharp contrast with the “large and brightly lit restaurant”, “where the best food and the best people in the best clothes appeared every evening”.
The theme of liberty is also satirically explored in this story. While liberty is something sought after and hallowed by American society, O. Henry claims that Soapy is “doomed to liberty” – suggesting that liberty, without the ability to reform one’s life, is worthless. Soapy is therefore at freedom to spend his time as he wishes – he is not encumbered in obligations to anyone else, yet his freedom is for nought in his life that is devoid of the prospect of reform. O. Henry uses the metaphor of the swans in the exposition, which have the freedom of flight, but the necessity to migrate, to reflect Soapy’s predicament. The irony and humour exists in the fact that Soapy endeavours to lose his liberty. Therefore, O. Henry suggests the futility of freedom, that is considered so sacrosanct by society.
All of these stories are wrought with irony – comically expressing otherwise dismal situations into an entertaining and insightful stories. O. Henry uses a light and comical tone, that renders the plights of the characters involved into dark humour that prompts us to consider themes of status, wealth, and aspiration, and to what extent they function in ways that favourable shape society. Do we perhaps attach more significance to them than they deserve?
O. Henry satirically portrays wealth in all three stories, albeit in unique ways. Throughout the three stories, O. Henry presents us with characters who are not wealthy. In “The Last Leaf”, O. Henry depicts three characters, who despite their lack of money, are satisfied with the comfort from the friendships that are nurtured through mutual compassion and selfless sacrifice. O. Henry thus rejects the extent of importance attached to wealth by society. In “Ransom of Red Chief”, Sam and Bill’s aspirations to be wealthy are also satirically portrayed, as their desires turn against them, with their kidnapping comically rendering them poorer than before. O. Henry thus satirically suggests the futility of endeavours to gain wealth, by the lack of success, and the ordeals faced by Sam and Bill in kidnapping Johnny. This futility is also represented in “The Cop and the Anthem” – the stark contrast of Soapy’s homeless desperation and the lavish life enjoyed by some of his fellow denizens, in addition to Soapy’s inability to reform his life despite his final resolve, calls into question the “American Dream”, whether the aspiration towards material comfort and wealth is something that can truly be actualised, and whether it is worth aspiring towards.