Literary Technique in O. Henry
Point of View and Setting in Gift of the Magi
William Sydney Porter writes a tightly woven story using tried and true literary tools and techniques and combining them into story style so unique that his stories were
William Sydney Porter, also known as O. Henry was a consummate craftsman when it came to his work as a short story writer. Porter understood his audience and new how to build a story that they could relate to while at the same time creating a twist, which provide them with an ‘Oh!’ moment.
To craft his stories, Porter understood the need to use his words effectively in order to draw the reader in quickly without wasting time on peripherals. This article looks at two common literary techniques that Porter uses to build the story Gift of the Magi and end it with the famous ‘O. Henry twist.’
Point of View
The story of Della and Jim is told by a third party narrator who seems to be telling a story directly to the reader as if they were sharing a drink in front of the fire. The narrator isn’t an omniscient or indifferent narrator, he has his own personality that adds a distinctive tone to the story.
The narrator directs his comments to ‘you’ the listener and sometimes discreetly directs your attention away from the story so that he can discuss details with you. Sometimes he even comments on his own words such as the time when he says “Forget the hashed metaphor.” (A technique known as authorial intrusion).
Setting
Porter did not generally reference the world at large in his short stories. He never mentioned what was going on politically or economically and he seldom made a direct reference to the exact location of his characters.
Most of Porter’s stories occur in one of five general locations, New York, the American South, the West, Central America, and prison. Yet even within these five categories, he seldom names a specific location. Gift of the Magi is one of his New York stories (more than half of his stories were set in New York) yet nowhere does Porter mention New York.
Porter sets the stage with close attention to detail so that a reader can infer the lifestyle, mood, and position of his characters just by their activities within their sphere. Yet Porter’s efficient style doesn’t allow him to start with a simple description of place such as many writers indulge in. His descriptions nearly always supply the information necessary to move the story forward – they are not simply stage setters. For example, Porter writes “She stood by the window and looked out dully at a gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray backyard.”
This short sentence does three things, it gives the reader a brief but revealing look at the exterior view of the Youngs’ environment, it gives us a clear feeling for Della’s emotional state, and it bridges the crying jag that Della just finished with her subsequent melancholy ruminations on their situation.
As a description of environment, the single sentence provides us with the knowledge that the Youngs live in an area of the city that is run down, here the paint is gone, and everything is dull and gray. It also lets us know that while it is Christmas Eve there is no snow to freshen their drab existence.
As a description of Della’s emotional state, Porter provides us with the single word ‘dully’ which resonates with the gray existence he paints and makes her dull gaze seem even duller. And finally, as a bridge it effectively moves us from a crying jag to the depressed mood from which Della reviews once again the financial situation.
More Information about Gift of the Magi
Biblical Allusions in O. Henry
Allusions to Kings in O. Henry
