Literary Probe of O. Henry’s Short Stories.doc

Literary Probe of O. Henry’s Short Stories 　　【Abstract】O. Henrys short stories are popular all over the world. His stories are diversified in subjects， and the artistic features of his works are prominent as well. 【Key words】O. Henry； Short stories； Subjects； Artistic features 0 Introduction O. Henry is one of the most famous short-story writers in America. His stories are mostly mellow， humorous， ingenious， and conspicuous with surprising endings. In the depiction of the events and incidents taken from everyday life， O. Henry presents the reader with a full picture of American society at his time. His stories enjoy high popularity in readers all over the world. 1 Subjects of O. Henry’s short stories O. Henry’s short stories are diverse in subjects， which can be classified into several types. The most prominent subject in his stories is the pure love. Can readers forget the moving story of “The Gift of the Magi” after they have read it？ Can they remain untouched when Jim and Della “most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house？”[1]In order to make the overwhelming love more pure， O. Henry often makes it bloom between couples under a poor living condition and accompanies it with self-sacrifice. In addition to the story mentioned above， “A Service of Love” is among other illustrations： the two artists have to give up his or her own specialty so as to make a living and to support the other to continue artistic pursuit. They lose art， but they gain love. Another impressive subject is the true friendship among people. In his famous story “The Last Leaf”， the old painter paints the last leaf on the wall on an icy， wet night， contributing his life as well as his masterpiece in order to save a young neighbor from desperation. Another instance is “A Blackjack Bargainer” which makes an anthem of sincere friendship. The disreputable Goree “sells” his feud in madness for gamble. When he comes to his sense， he dies willingl