We can add another 9/11 mystery to the ones we enjoy
creating, which is the birth date of W.S. Porter, known as O. Henry. William
Sydney Porter had a short life, from 9/11/1862 to 6/5/1910, but long enough to
establish himself as one of the best American short story writers. His writings
were reflected on periodicals and news publications of the time, and later
collected into several books. He wrote a total of 381 short stories. Forty five
of his stories are collected in a book titled “Selected Stories of O. Henry”
that was published in 2003 by Barnes & Noble, Inc., with a great
introduction by Victoria Blake. Quotations made of O. Henry’s work are from
this book.
O. Henry’s
signature writing was the way he ended each of his stories. He made it as a
routine to end each story with an unexpected and surprising ending. Of course,
the author knew from the beginning of the story how his story would end, but
managed to lead the reader to a different conclusion than the one presented. Many
criticized this method of writing and character and plot developing, however at
the end, readers enjoyed those conclusions. Characters of his stories are
mostly ordinary working people. The plots are however more complicated and
versatile. Another component of his writings that has appealed to his readers
is a certain kind of humor that is not obvious, but the presence of an
underlying wit. These are not jokes that would make one laugh, but some smart
and at the same time comic statements that make the reader grin while passing
through each phrase:
“No man
existed who had money enough to wear so bad a hat as his.” P.74
“It usually
takes a hypotenuse a long time to discover that it is the longest side of a
triangle.” P.162
“’What is
this paraphernalia you speak of, Doc?’ Says the Mayor. ‘You ain’t a Socialist,
are you?’” P.394
“Never have I known a man’s talk to be as magnificently
dull as Peter’s was. Compared with it the Dead Sea is a geyser.” P.398
O. Henry’s humor
sometimes is spread through the whole story, meaning that his story turns out
to be a long joke. His phrases and the way he constructs them, if not funny,
they look interesting. Some of them sound even poetic, when he rhymes the
words, or plays with words:
“And
especially Mr. Hoover, who was forty-five, fat, flush and foolish.” P.69
“There was
a soft rustle behind and above him and Andy turned his head- and had his head
turned.” P.81
“’It is part of my business,’ says Bill Bassett, ‘to play
up to the ruffles when I want to make a riffle as Raffles.’” P.301
O. Henry
had a good knowledge of literature himself, and the proper use of language and
vocabulary to represent an idea sound poetic as well:
“Each plank
in the floor owned its particular cant and shriek as from a separate and
individual agony.” P.155
“He seemed
to be made of sunshine and blood-red tissue and clear weather.” P.205
“Upon what
shallow waters can the bark of passion remain afloat!” P.350
“Her voice
came from her throat; her throat seemed lined with fur.” P.152
“His hair
was as black and straight as an Indian’s; his face had not yet been upturned to
the humiliation of a razor.” P.254
“Editor Westbrook gazed through his nose-glasses with a
sweetly sorrowful, omniscient, sympathetic, skeptical expression- the
copyrighted expression of the editor beleaguered by the unavailable
contributor.” P.386
This last
quotation uses editorial language in order to present the mind of an editor. O.
Henry is a master in using any available instrument in a story to present true environment
of the story and create the same atmosphere for the reader. When the story is related
to the south of the border, many Spanish phrases are used. For the French
quarter his phrases are French. He borrows heavily from Greek mythical epics
and uses events of Homer’s legends. Politically, O. Henry is not as progressive
as his contemporaries, such as Mark Twain and Walt Whitman, and it is fair to
say that politically and philosophically his views are ordinary. Racial justice
and women’s equality had started before his time, but they had not changed his
views, not much different from common people of his time:
“Rudolf
walked slowly back to where the giant negro stood by the case of rattling
teeth… the Ethiopian displayed a natural barbaric dignity as he stood… every
half minute he chanted a harsh, unintelligible phrase akin to the jabber of car
conductors and grand opera.” P.120
“And then with a woman’s reasoning (oh, yes, they do,
sometimes)…P.367
However,
his general knowledge was reflected in many of his writings. He was apparently
aware of the newly published Edward FitzGerald’s book titled: “Rubaiyat of Omar
Khayyam”:
“This Homer K.M., from what leaked out of his libretto
through Idaho, seemed to me to be a kind of a dog who looked at life like it
was a tin can tied to his tail… and looks at the can and says: “Oh, well, since
we can’t shake the growler, let’s get it filled at the corner, and all have a
drink on me.” P.316
Although
the protagonist in the story where the above quote is derived from reads the
poems as love songs, O. Henry knows that the poetry is merely philosophical
(considering the above quotation), as he changes the name to Homer K.M. In the
same story and the same page, when speaking of the nationality of Omar Khayyam,
knowing that Persia was famous at the time for its carpets and cats:
“Besides that, it seems he was Persian, and I never hear of
Persia producing anything worth mentioning unless it was Turkish rugs and
Maltese cats.” P.316
His
knowledge of business and pillars of capitalism is also evident in one of his
writings, although the most important element, labor, is missing from his
equation. However, his humoristic view of it is interesting:
“And so, there was the three of us, representing, if we had
a mind to draw syllogisms and parabolas, labor and trade and capital. Now, when
trade has no capital there isn’t a dicker to be made. And when capital has no
money there’s a stagnation in steak and onions.” P.304
Finally, he
offers many wise statements and exploits every opportunity to add a
philosophical appendage to it. Even some of his humoristic phrases mentioned
above carry some philosophical load:
“In time
truth and science and nature will adapt themselves to art.” P.7
“Life is
made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.” P.25
“The True
adventurer goes forth aimless and uncalculating to meet and greet unknown
fate.” P.117
“In the case of human beings, friendship is a
transitory art, subject to discontinuance without further notice.” P.324
“They had
the appearance of men to whom life had appeared as a reversible coat- seamy on
both sides.” P.278
In addition,
O. Henry’s writings are also very entertaining.
