Literary Analysis Of O. Henry's Works

Italo Calvino once said, “A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say.” This quote means these timeless books can be reread over and over and will still be fantastic. The classic authors such as O.Henry, Mark Twain, and John Steinbeck reflect their unique life and style in their work. The writers included situational irony, social commentaries, and racial issues in their books.

O. Henry’s unique style is reflected in his writing. O. Henry writes with situational irony, unexpected endings along with plot twists. His style is demonstrated in the Gift of the Magi by O. Henry. Della and Jim are exchanging presents on Christmas day, when Jim said, “I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs” (O. Henry). This shows, situational irony because the couple sold both their utmost cherished items, to buy their significant other an expensive gift. This is a classic connection between life as well as style because O. Henry was put into a real plot twist when he was jailed for embezzlement (CX). Both the author, including the characters, were placed into an ironic situation. Another piece of O. Henry’s life is exhibited in his story, “After Twenty Years”. In this narrative, a man was meeting up with an old friend twenty years later when the man said to his friend, ”You’re not Jimmy Wells” (228). This displays an awkward situation because the “Jimmy Wells” turns out he is not the man’s old friend. Caring for his mother, O. Henry was arrested for