ENGLISH INTERNAL ASSESSMENT

ABOUT THE AUTHORO.HENRY(1867-1910)o.Henry is the famous nom de plume of William Sydney porter, who was born in Greensboro , NC , on september11,1867 . He did not receive a formal education and at twenty of age, moved to Texas , where he worked on a sheep ranch.

In 1887 ,He married Athol Estes roach. they had two children , a daughter and a son .however, it was this imprisonment that led directly to O.HENRY's career as a writer. in 1902, after three years in prison, he settled in New York with his new name and nearly a dozen short stories ready to publish .It has been said that O.HENRY wrote funny stories, but this only applicable in its widest sense for his stories always seemed to contain a moral which was not always portrayed in a funny way. O.HENRY very rarely touched the note of the supernatural, but "THE FURNISHED ROOM", with its ghostly fragrance, is among the best of all his stories

PLOT OF THE STORY The story ends with two old Dickensian ladies prattling over their beer about the death of a young woman in the room the previous week , which the landlady has kept secret because she did not want to lose the young man's rent. As the young man lies dead upstairs , the ending of the story, with its focus on the mendacity of the old women ,reinforces the squalorof the room , further suggesting the unfeeling city that has no room for the romanticism of the two lovers. This short story is really a tragedy and an "irony of fate". The author presents the story not simply in order to appraise the young man's true love for the girl, but also to reveal the truth that the capital society makes some people cold-hearted. They are so cruel that they only care about their own profit without concerning others' emotion and life.

SETTINGThe story takes place in a worn , bruised and furnished room in a lodging in the lower west side of New York city.

THEMEThe main theme of this story is the struggles and uncertainties that young people face, in search of self identity. the theme is really announced in the first paragraph of the text. It suggests that may be we remain transient forever-always searching for something to fulfill us or make us complete. The room itself reflects that feeling. And perhaps the use of the hotel suggests that we never truly create a home until we are complete.Theme such as loneliness, lost love , transience and of course suicide are seen in this story

CHARACTER SKETCH This short story consists of four

characters The young man is the major character of the story . He has been looking for his beloved miss Vasher for the past five months , but to no avail. The hope of meeting her again , drives him throughout his search. He moves from from one lodging to another searching, always searching yet reaching no end. He is desperate and helpless in the world of cold realism .Trapped in a harshly ironic and deceitful world , he becomes a pitiable symbol in a world numb to his presence. In the end ; the landlady's lie leaves him without any hope and he kills himself to end the misery.

Miss Eloise Vashner is the love of the protagonist. She has run away from home and her lover believes that since her disappearance from home this great, water-grit city held her somewhere , but it was like a monstrous quick sand , shifting its particles constantly, with no foundation , its upper granules of to-day buried tomorrow in ooze and slime. She usually sang on stage and was part of theatrical performances . She is described as being a fair girl , of medium height and slender , with reddish , gold hair and a dark mole near her left eyebrow.

Mrs. Purdy and Mrs.Mcool are minor characters . Mrs. Purdy is the landlady with twelfth mansion.She is overpowered by greed that she becomes indifferent to human feelings and emotions .she lies to the young man about vasher and does not tell him that she had committed suicide in the room he now occupies . She does not speak the truth just to get a possible tenant .The desire for money is seen right through.

Symbolism and Literary Devices

O.HENRY uses symbolism and literacy devices to bring life to words. The poor condition of the room represents the cruelty of the people in general. the author while speaking about the carpet he says ,"its own loom would have or worn."This is an example for personification.

SURPRISE ENDING

O.HENRY's short stories are always characterized by his "surprise ending".".....a swate little face she had ,Mrs. Purdy, ma'am." She'd a-been called handsome as you say,“ said Mrs.Purdy,assenting but critical ,"for that mole she had a-growing by her left eye brow . Do u fill the glass again , Mrs. McCool.The last but two sentence is really "a last minute surprise". It reveals the truth that Mrs. . Purdy actually knows who the young man looking for. The reader may suddenly realize that she tells a lie. It can be deferred that she has hidden a truth so as not to lose her business.

The conversation topic of the last sentence abruptly changed from the girl to beer . It seems nothing to do the prior topic , but as a matter of fact , it reflects the hardheadedness of theses two women, who totally neglect the pain of the two lovers. They show no sympathy to their tragedy and only mind their own business. This is the most particular way which ends the story with a very ironic effect

CONCLUSIONThrough the analysis of the stylistic features of O.HENRY's short story "the furnished room", it can help the reader more understand the writing style of the author. The author uses specific adjectives and phrase to emphasize his description;employs some complex sentences to achieve particular effect ; employs some rhetorical devices , such as figures of speech , to make his story more picturesque ; also use t he special way of "surprise ending“ to produce irony and surprising effect at the end of the story.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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