Questions and Answers
· 1.) How does this story follow (or not) the typical O. Henry development for a short story?
This story follows the typical O.Henry development because all of the characters and settings are introduced first. The characters are the husband, wife, and Lovely. The setting is New York. Next the conflict or plot is introduced. The conflict was that the wife was abusive to her husband, “By Sirius! There was a biped I felt sorry for. He was a little man with sandy hair and whiskers a good deal like mine. Henpecked? -- Well, toucans and flamingos and pelicans all had their bills in him. He wiped the dishes and listened to my mistress tell about the cheap, ragged things the lady with the squirrel-skin coat on the second floor hung out on her line to dry. And every evening while she was getting supper she made him take me out on the end of a string for a walk.” Next the Climax occurs which was when Lovely was trying to tell the husband to leave, “‘You old flea-headed woodchuck-chaser," I said to him--"you moon- baying, rabbit-pointing, egg stealing old beagle, can't you see that I don't want to leave you? Can't you see that we're both Pups in the Wood and the missis is the cruel uncle after you with the dish towel and me with the flea liniment and a pink bow to tie on my tail? Why not cut that all out and be pards forever more?’” Finally the twist ending comes which was when the husband and Lovely leave the wife, “‘Me and my doggie, we are bound for the Rocky Mountains.’”
· 2.) To which story or stories read in class does it resemble most closely?
This story resembles The Last Leaf the most because Mr.Behrman painted the leaf and put it on the tree so Johnsy would see that the last leaf wasn’t going to fall and that she should not give up on life so easily. This resembles Memoirs of a Yellow Dog because Lovely hints to the husband that he shouldn’t put up with his wife and he should leave and be happy because he was letting his wife take advantage of him and be abusive. “If men knew how women pass the time when they are alone they'd never marry. Laura Lean Jibbey, peanut brittle, a little almond cream on the neck muscles, dishes unwashed, half an hour's talk with the iceman, reading a package of old letters, a couple of pickles and two bottles of malt extract, one hour peeking through a hole in the window shade into the flat across the air-shaft--that's about all there is to it. Twenty minutes before time for him to come home from work she straightens up the house, fixes her rat so it won't show, and gets out a lot of sewing for a ten-minute bluff.”
· 3.) Which of O. Henry’s motifs are present in this story?
The motif friendship is present in this story because Lovely felt bad for the husband and he tried to help the husband solve his problems so he could be happy. “‘You old flea-headed woodchuck-chaser," I said to him--"you moon- baying, rabbit-pointing, egg stealing old beagle, can't you see that I don't want to leave you?’”
· 4.) Is O. Henry’s real life reflected in this story?
O.Henry’s real life is reflected in the story because he had a lot of friendship’s and people close since he didn’t have much family.
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This story follows the typical O.Henry development because all of the characters and settings are introduced first. The characters are the husband, wife, and Lovely. The setting is New York. Next the conflict or plot is introduced. The conflict was that the wife was abusive to her husband, “By Sirius! There was a biped I felt sorry for. He was a little man with sandy hair and whiskers a good deal like mine. Henpecked? -- Well, toucans and flamingos and pelicans all had their bills in him. He wiped the dishes and listened to my mistress tell about the cheap, ragged things the lady with the squirrel-skin coat on the second floor hung out on her line to dry. And every evening while she was getting supper she made him take me out on the end of a string for a walk.” Next the Climax occurs which was when Lovely was trying to tell the husband to leave, “‘You old flea-headed woodchuck-chaser," I said to him--"you moon- baying, rabbit-pointing, egg stealing old beagle, can't you see that I don't want to leave you? Can't you see that we're both Pups in the Wood and the missis is the cruel uncle after you with the dish towel and me with the flea liniment and a pink bow to tie on my tail? Why not cut that all out and be pards forever more?’” Finally the twist ending comes which was when the husband and Lovely leave the wife, “‘Me and my doggie, we are bound for the Rocky Mountains.’”
· 2.) To which story or stories read in class does it resemble most closely?
This story resembles The Last Leaf the most because Mr.Behrman painted the leaf and put it on the tree so Johnsy would see that the last leaf wasn’t going to fall and that she should not give up on life so easily. This resembles Memoirs of a Yellow Dog because Lovely hints to the husband that he shouldn’t put up with his wife and he should leave and be happy because he was letting his wife take advantage of him and be abusive. “If men knew how women pass the time when they are alone they'd never marry. Laura Lean Jibbey, peanut brittle, a little almond cream on the neck muscles, dishes unwashed, half an hour's talk with the iceman, reading a package of old letters, a couple of pickles and two bottles of malt extract, one hour peeking through a hole in the window shade into the flat across the air-shaft--that's about all there is to it. Twenty minutes before time for him to come home from work she straightens up the house, fixes her rat so it won't show, and gets out a lot of sewing for a ten-minute bluff.”
· 3.) Which of O. Henry’s motifs are present in this story?
The motif friendship is present in this story because Lovely felt bad for the husband and he tried to help the husband solve his problems so he could be happy. “‘You old flea-headed woodchuck-chaser," I said to him--"you moon- baying, rabbit-pointing, egg stealing old beagle, can't you see that I don't want to leave you?’”
· 4.) Is O. Henry’s real life reflected in this story?
O.Henry’s real life is reflected in the story because he had a lot of friendship’s and people close since he didn’t have much family.
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