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thor arranges the entire plot just to get the readers to wait, to cause suspense, the pleasurable excitement and anticipation of the outcome. From the beginning, the readers keep guessing what Jim and Della will buy for each other, and the coincidence of their gift is the great suspense the author put in his article. And then he gives the answer to the question. Here is the ending: “Here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely scarified for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in the last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts.” [7](P59) However, the story end comes when Jim reveals that he has sold his watch to buy Dalla her present, from where the poor couple’s love is show. Therefore, O. Henry ends the story artfully, and with deft touches he elicits the reader’s admiration and sympathy for his young couple shows love for each other more than compensates for their lack of money and material possessions. Though confronted with cruel reality and dull daily routine, Della and Jim can never change their eagerness toward love. To them the most valuable material possession is so slight and insignificant before the spiritual possession of love romance. That is sparkling with fragrant charm.
There is another story about sacrificial theme entitled “The Last Leaf”, a warm and tragic tale describing how a dying artist proves as resilient as the last leaf on the wall outside. Sue, a poor painter, attacked by Pneumonia, wanted to turn loose her hold on everything, and go sailing down, down, just like one of those poor tires leave. But after beating rain and fierce gusts of wind, an ivy leaf still stands against the brick wall, which gives her the hope of living, makeing her realize that: “It is a sin to want to die”. [8](P71) The ending reveals that Mr. Behrman, a kind old artist dies at previous night by pneumonia, painting the leave on an outdoor vine in the storming night ----in his effort to restore Sue’s will to live. Though the touching ending makes us absorbed in sadness, the readers can still find gleams of hope and desire out of despair. It not only enlightens the girl’s courage for better life but also moves every reader to tears. Those glittering human virtues however counterpoint to the capitalist industrial bourgeoisies’ human defeats, telling us that life is supreme and thus upgrading the theme.
Moreover, sometimes the ending repeats the beginning and strings the whole article to elucidate the human virtues. In “A Service of Love”, O. Henry inputs the comment to an inside view, which is conveyed by the conversation between Joe and Delia: “When one loves one’s art no service seen—just when one loves”. [9](P23) The theme is straightly revealed from the beginning and restated by to the end. O. Henry praises for the pure love between Joe and Delia. They both sacrifice their time and chance to earn enough money to support their spouse. Delia works in a laundry for two weeks. They cheat each other so that one of them can win the opportunity to realize his or her dream or Art. Until one-day Delia’s hand is burned with a smoothing-iron, do they find out the reality. This kind of ending eulogize of the love between ordinary people. The art is also a kind hearted, self-sacrifice, hardworking and perseverance. After all, in the world of O. Henry, American society still has charm, has not become vicious.
By and large, through the portrayal the panorama of a throng of people either of upper class or lower class, O. Henry’s eulogize the specious and precious human virtues. The virtues of the character reflected from the unsuspected ending.
⒉ The Human Defects
On the other hand, human beings have many defects, too. They benefit themselves at the expense of others. In order to make money they never show mercy and sympathy to the poor. They realize their own aims by hook or by crook. Their evil deeds make the world vicious. By exposing the human defects and the dark side of the world, O. Henry wants to awaken people’s conscience and their deepest desire for all good things, so that people can make their efforts to save and clean the whole world.
Some people love money than anything else. In “Mammon and the Archer”, Anthony Fuckwell, a retired manufacturer and proprietor of Rockwall’ Soap, has the greatest esteem for the value of money. “I bet my money on money every time, I’ve been through the encyclopedia down to Y looking for something you can’t buy with it, and I expect to have to take to the appendix next week, I’m for money against the field. Tell me something money won’t buy. ” [10](P73) His son wants to ask for a girl’s hand but there is too little time left. Surprisingly, a fortunately traffic tie-up offers enough time for the son. But the ending discloses that it is the father who makes the accident in order to help his son to win the girl’s heart. The theme of the story come ou上一页 [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] 下一页
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