“After Twenty Years”

1. “After Twenty Years” By: O. Henry September 11, 1862 – June 5, 1910

2. Who was O. Henry? The author’s real names was William Sydney Porter. He is considered to be the master of the “surprise” ending in short stories. However, he was not always a writer…he was a pharmacist, newspaper editor, and a bank teller. Until, that is, he was arrested for embezzlement. (Fancy word for theft from his employer.) O. Henry spent five years in prison. It was during that time that he had fourteen stories published-under a pseudonym. (Not his real name.) You’ve probably heard at least one of his stories before-The Gift of the Magi.

3. Refresh Your Memory: These terms are in your notes or Literary Terms packet. -Theme -Main Idea/Supporting Details -Foreshadowing -Elements of Plot (Plot Diagram) -Characterization

4. Refresh Your Memory: These terms are in your notes or Literary Terms packet. -ThemeThe “big” idea or message from a story, truism about life, general statement that can be timeless or universal -Main Idea/Supporting Details -Foreshadowing Clues that tell or point to later events -Elements of Plot (Plot Diagram) -Characterization

5. The policeman on the beat moved up the avenue impressively. The impressiveness was habitual and not for show, for spectators werefew. The police officer is walking around his area of the city. He does his work out of habit; he isn’t trying to show off-there are not many people there.

6. The time was barely 10 o’clock at night, but chilly gusts of wind with a taste of rain in them had well nigh depeopled the streets. It isn’t late, but the cold, rainy weather has kept people off the streets.

7. Trying doors as he went, twirling his club with many intricate and artful movements, turning now and then to cast his watchful eye adown the pacific thoroughfare, the officer, with his stalwart form and slight swagger, made a fine picture of a guardian of the peace.  The police officer does his job carefully, and he takes pride in his work. He checks all the stores as he walks along; he also keeps an eye out for anything that might be happening on the street.

8. When about midway of a certain block the policeman suddenly slowed his walk. In the doorway of a darkened hardware store a man leaned, with an unlighted cigar in his mouth. The police officer stops when he sees a man in a dark doorway.

9. As the policeman walked up to him the man spoke up quickly."It's all right, officer," he said, reassuringly. "I'm just waiting for a friend. It's an appointment made twenty years ago. Sounds a little funny to you, doesn't it? Well, I'll explain if you'd like tomake certain it's all straight. About that long ago there used to be a restaurant where this store stands--'Big Joe' Brady's restaurant.""Until five years ago," said the policeman. "It was torn down then." The police officer approaches him, and the man quickly explains that he is just waiting for a friend-everything is fine. Nope-no problems. Nothing suspicious going on.

10. The man in the doorway struck a match and lit his cigar. The light showed a pale, square-jawed face with keen eyes, and a little whitescar near his right eyebrow. His scarfpin was a large diamond, oddly set. When he lights the match, we get a clear look at his face.

11. "Twenty years ago to-night," said the man, "I dined here at 'Big Joe'Brady's with Jimmy Wells, my best chum, and the finest chap in the world. He and I were raised here in New York, just like twobrothers, together. I was eighteen and Jimmy was twenty. The next morning I was to start for the West to make my fortune. You couldn't have dragged Jimmy out of New York; he thought it was the only place on earth. Well, we agreed that night that we would meet here againexactly twenty years from that date and time, no matter what our conditions might be or from what distance we might have to come. We figured that in twenty years each of us ought to have our destiny worked out and our fortunes made, whatever they were going to be." The man in the doorway explains that twenty years ago, he and a friend agreed to meet at that very spot twenty years later.

12. "It sounds pretty interesting," said the policeman. "Rather a long time between meets, though, it seems to me. Haven't you heard from your friend since you left?""Well, yes, for a time we corresponded," said the other. "But after a year or two we lost track of each other. You see, the West is a pretty big proposition, and I kept hustling around over it pretty lively. But I know Jimmy will meet me here if he's alive, for he always was the truest, stanchest old chap in the world. He'll neverforget. I came a thousand miles to stand in this door to-night, and it's worth it if my old partner turns up." When the police officer asks if he has heard from his friend since, the man in the doorway explains that he was moving around a lot. They lost contact with one another.

13. The waiting man pulled out a handsome watch, the lids of it set with small diamonds."Three minutes to ten," he announced. "It was exactly ten o'clock when we parted here at the restaurant door.""Did pretty well out West, didn't you?" asked the policeman."You bet! I hope Jimmy has done half as well. He was a kind of plodder, though, good fellow as he was. I've had to compete with some of the sharpest wits going to get my pile. A man gets in a groove in New York. It takes the West to put a razor-edge on him." The man describes his friend Jimmy as nice, but not as bright as he is. After all, in the West you have to really use your brains.

14. The policeman twirled his club and took a step or two."I'll be on my way. Hope your friend comes around all right. Going to call time on him sharp?“ "I should say not!" said the other. "I'll give him half an hour at least. If Jimmy is alive on earth he'll be here by that time. So long, officer.""Good-night, sir," said the policeman, passing on along his beat, trying doors as he went. The policeman asks the man how long he plans on waiting for his friend. Is he going to leave right at ten or give his friend time to show up?

15. There was now a fine, cold drizzle falling, and the wind had risen from its uncertain puffs into a steady blow. The few foot passengers astir in that quarter hurried dismally and silently along with coat collars turned high and pocketed hands. And in the door of the hardware store the man who had come a thousand miles to fill an appointment, uncertain almost to absurdity, with the friend of his youth, smoked his cigar and waited. It seems silly to expect a friend from twenty years before to show up, but the man waits anyway-even though it is very cold and rainy.

16. About twenty minutes he waited, and then a tall man in a long overcoat, with collar turned up to his ears, hurried across from the opposite side of the street. He went directly to the waiting man. "Is that you, Bob?" he asked, doubtfully."Is that you, Jimmy Wells?" cried the man in the door.

17. "Bless my heart!" exclaimed the new arrival, grasping both the other's hands with his own. "It's Bob, sure as fate. I was certain I'd find you here if you were still in existence. Well, well, well!--twenty years is a long time. The old restaurant is gone, Bob; I wish it had lasted, so we could have had another dinner there. How has the West treated you, old man?""Bully; it has given me everything I asked it for. You've changed lots, Jimmy. I never thought you were so tall by two or three inches." Bob explains that the West has been good for him; he has done really well. But, he is surprised-Jimmy seems taller than he remembers.

18. "Oh, I grew a bit after I was twenty.""Doing well in New York, Jimmy?""Moderately. I have a position in one of the city departments. Come on, Bob; we'll go around to a place I know of, and have a good long talk about old times."The two men started up the street, arm in arm. The man from the West, his egotism enlarged by success, was beginning to outline the history of his career. The other, submerged in his overcoat, listened with interest. The two men are walking together. Bob starts to brag about how great his adventures in the West have been.

19. At the corner stood a drug store, brilliant with electric lights. When they came into this glare each of them turned simultaneously to gaze upon the other's face.The man from the West stopped suddenly and released his arm."You're not Jimmy Wells," he snapped. "Twenty years is a long time, but not long enough to change a man's nose from a Roman to a pug." Wait a minute! Bob realizes that this guy is NOT his friend Jimmy. It may have been twenty years, but the shape of your nose doesn’t change.

20. Visual Pug Nose Roman Nose

21. "It sometimes changes a good man into a bad one,” said the tall man. "You've been under arrest for ten minutes, 'Silky' Bob. Chicago thinks you may have dropped over our way and wires us she wants to have a chat with you. Going quietly, are you? That's sensible. Now, before we go on to the station here's a note I was asked to hand you. You may read it here at the window. It's from Patrolman Wells." The man who was pretending to be Jimmy admits he isn’t Jimmy. Instead, he is there to arrest Bob who is wanted in other cities for crimes.

22. The man from the West unfolded the little piece of paper handed him. His hand was steady when he began to read, but it trembled a little by the time he had finished. The note was rather short. Bob opens the note that the detective gave him. You can tell that he is emotional about the note by the way he shakes after reading it.

23. "Bob: I was at the appointed place on time. When you struck the match to light your cigar, I saw it was the face of the man wanted in Chicago. Somehow I couldn't do it myself, so I went around and got a plain clothes man to do the job. Jimmy." Surprise! The note reveals that the police officer at the start of the story was really Jimmy. He was there to meet with Bob, but realized Bob was a criminal. Still, he felt bad about arresting his friend…he just couldn’t do it. Instead, he left and got a plain-clothes cop to arrest Bob. The plain-clothes cop pretends he is Jimmy so that he can get Bob to come along with him…to the police station.

24. Comprehension Why has the man in the doorway come back to the old neighborhood after twenty years? What does the police officer realize when the man in the doorway lights his cigar? 3. How does the man in the doorway (Bob) describe Jimmy Wells? a. What does this tell us about Bob?

25. Comprehension 1. What does the police officer do after saying good night to the man in the doorway? 2. What makes Bob realize that the second man-the plainclothes policeman-is not Jimmy? 3. Who is the man, and why is he pretending to be Jimmy?

26. Comprehension 1. Based on the story, we can infer that Bob spent his time in the West… 2. What happens to Bob at the end of the story? 3. If the author meant to teach a lesson, what do you think it would be?

27. Plot-Basic Elements Exposition (Setting) : Rising Action: Climax: Falling Action: Resolution:

28. Plot- How are these elements connected? Exposition: We know that the setting of the story is at night on a dark street. How important to the story is the time of day? What would change if it took place during a sunny afternoon? Without the exposition, the story would unravel! The dark night makes the following possible: Bob appears suspicious while loitering in the dark doorway. Bob doesn’t recognize his friend. Jimmy recognizes Bob only because the match Bob lit revealed his face…while still not showing Jimmy’s. Bob isn’t aware at first that the second man is NOT his friend-until they walk under the light. Plus, as readers we are metaphorically “in the dark” about the characters until the truth is revealed at the end of the story.

29. Plot- How are these elements connected? Rising Action: While speaking to the officer, Bob talks about Jimmy Wells. What information does Bob give? How does this information fit in with the surprise ending? The man posing as Jimmy listens with interest as Bob outlined “the history of his career.” Why? How does this fit in with the surprise ending? Why is the moment when Bob lights a match important? How does this fit in with the surprise ending?

30. Compare/Contrast 1. How are the two friends different? 2. How are the two friends similar?

31. Interpret Excerpts What is the main idea of the following sentence from the story? “And in the door of the hardware store the man who had come a thousand miles to fill an appointment, uncertain almost to absurdity, with the friend of his youth, smoked his cigar and waited.”

32. Interpret Excerpts “A man gets in a groove in New York. It takes the West to put a razor-edge on him.” What does Bob mean by this? What can we infer about him by the fact that he went to the West? What can we infer about Jimmy from his decision to stay in New York?

33. Characterization Silky Bob Jimmy Wells

34. Characterization 1. Name some clues as to what type of person “Silky” Bob has turned out to be. 2. Name some clues as to what type of person Jimmy has turned out to be.

35. Foreshadowing Foreshadowing is a technique authors use to “hint” or give a preview of future action. O. Henry uses foreshadowing to give his readers clues as to how the story will turn out.

36. Foreshadowing The Clues/Hints What we infer from those clues Bob might be a “shady” person or a criminal. “Jimmy” is taller than Bob remembers. Bob is nervous around the policeman. “Jimmy’s “ nose has changed.

37. Themes Which of the following could be a theme for the story? Which would be the best theme? Which ones could NOT be a theme for this story? Friendships last a lifetime. Criminals get what they deserve. Sometimes it is hard to do the right thing. People don’t change. Love is everlasting. Time can change people. Be careful what you wish for; it might come true. Friendship vs. Duty Doing the right thing is more important than doing what a friend wants.