A review by holtfan
The Best Short Stories of O. Henry by O. Henry
4.0
Dearest Reader,
It is with the greatest pleasure I bring to your attention one of the most excellent writer of the nineteen and twentieth centuries, O. Henry. In his time, O. Henry wrote over six hundred short stories that continue to delight readers to this day. His work is entirely memorable, once you have read “The Ransom of Red Chief” or “Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen”, you will never forget them. The writing is generally humorous, with a profound awareness of social ills.
Some may find the stories pointless; I think this is to be expected. He writes about ‘real life’, but in such a way as to make it fascinating. O. Henry creates awareness about our culture even while making fun of it. How can that be, you might ask, when O. Henry was writing to a completely different generation of people? Well, that is just part of the fun! We might not live in an era of shop-girls and cabbie horses, but human nature is still the same and that is exactly what O. Henry writes about. He encourages one to come in, sit down, and simply enjoy. Read with tongue in cheek, a dose of humor, and willingness for awareness, you are sure to enjoy!
One of my favorite stories is “The Cop and the Anthem.” “Soapy”, as the main character is known, is an all-around loafer who’s goal is to get sent to prison for the winter months. They provide warmth, food, and in his mind, the perfect winter retreat. Unfortunately, he can’t seem to get arrested! No matter what he does, it doesn’t work. He breaks a window, eats without paying, even attempts to abduct a woman, but nothing works! Finally, as he walks past a church, he experiences a “sudden and wonderful change in his soul.” He decides to completely turn his life around, get a job, and become a productive man of society. At that moment a police officer wanders over and arrests him for loafing. He is sentenced to jail for the winter months!
Not all of his works are humorous, such as “The Unfinished Story” or the ever depressing, “Gift of the Magi.” This does not mean they are bad. They tend to express more awareness of human life and rely more on the bitter-sweet then funny. To say that one is better than the other is beyond me, all of O. Henry is excellent.
I hope you will read and enjoy as much as I.
Yours Truly,
It is with the greatest pleasure I bring to your attention one of the most excellent writer of the nineteen and twentieth centuries, O. Henry. In his time, O. Henry wrote over six hundred short stories that continue to delight readers to this day. His work is entirely memorable, once you have read “The Ransom of Red Chief” or “Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen”, you will never forget them. The writing is generally humorous, with a profound awareness of social ills.
Some may find the stories pointless; I think this is to be expected. He writes about ‘real life’, but in such a way as to make it fascinating. O. Henry creates awareness about our culture even while making fun of it. How can that be, you might ask, when O. Henry was writing to a completely different generation of people? Well, that is just part of the fun! We might not live in an era of shop-girls and cabbie horses, but human nature is still the same and that is exactly what O. Henry writes about. He encourages one to come in, sit down, and simply enjoy. Read with tongue in cheek, a dose of humor, and willingness for awareness, you are sure to enjoy!
One of my favorite stories is “The Cop and the Anthem.” “Soapy”, as the main character is known, is an all-around loafer who’s goal is to get sent to prison for the winter months. They provide warmth, food, and in his mind, the perfect winter retreat. Unfortunately, he can’t seem to get arrested! No matter what he does, it doesn’t work. He breaks a window, eats without paying, even attempts to abduct a woman, but nothing works! Finally, as he walks past a church, he experiences a “sudden and wonderful change in his soul.” He decides to completely turn his life around, get a job, and become a productive man of society. At that moment a police officer wanders over and arrests him for loafing. He is sentenced to jail for the winter months!
Not all of his works are humorous, such as “The Unfinished Story” or the ever depressing, “Gift of the Magi.” This does not mean they are bad. They tend to express more awareness of human life and rely more on the bitter-sweet then funny. To say that one is better than the other is beyond me, all of O. Henry is excellent.
I hope you will read and enjoy as much as I.
Yours Truly,