After Twenty Years

A detailed Summary of After Twenty Years


The short story "After Twenty Years" is one of over 113 short stories written by O. Henry, during a three-year period between 1902 and 1905. The New York World, where he worked during that period, only allowed him the space of one page for a story. Therefore, this particular short story, like most of the others, is very short.

The story takes place around 10 p.m. along a dark, windy New York City business avenue, mostly within the darkened doorway of a closed hardware store. This particular location had been a restaurant until five years ago. The weather worsens as the drama builds going from "chilly gusts of wind with a taste of rain" to a "fine, cold drizzle falling, and wind had risen from its uncertain puffs into a steady blow."

The plot begins with a policeman "on the beat" who discovers a man standing in the dark doorway. The man then proceeds to explain why he is there. He and his best friend, Jimmy Wells had parted exactly twenty years ago to make their fortunes and had promised to meet at that spot "After Twenty Years". He had gone west and gotten rich and was sure his friend, Jimmy would meet him if at all possible. They talked a while and the policeman carried on. The man from the west wonders if his f


The surprise ending, a trademark of O. Henry's, was helped along by a "trick" used to throw the reader off. Repetitious use of the policeman "on his beat" and "trying doors as he went" both before and after the meeting with Bob, leads the reader to think the policeman is a regular fixture, just doing his job. The author also utilizes barely noticeable details that, in hindsight turn out to be significant. When the policeman asked "Going to call time on him sharp", he was really checking to see how long he had to arrange for someone else to make the arrest. Looking back, a reader might also have recognized that the policeman did seem to take more than a passing interest in Bob when inquiring about the lengthy time between meetings as well as information about Bob's success. Here again, although Bob's description of life out west was bold, most readers would probably not figure out that he was a crook.

"After Twenty Years" is an entertaining read, especially after the second or third time. The central theme of "a win for the underdog" is well supported by the plot, setting and characters. The surprise ending(s) add to the story by providing a "friendly gotcha" to the reader and a desire to take on the "challenge" awaiting the many other O. Henry short stories.



Some common words found in the essay are:
Patrolman Jimmy, Silky Bob, York City, York World, , friend jimmy, short story, short stories, grew bit twenty, described detail, bit twenty, plainclothesman imposter, silky bob, rendezvous friend, grew bit, policeman described,

Approximate Word count = 1228
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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