One Thousand Dollars

At the end of O. Henry's story, the lawyers are puzzled at the sound of Gillian's laughter as he leaves. He has lied and told them that he lost the one thousand dollars so that Miss Hayden will...

The main characters in O. Henry's short story "One Thousand Dollars" are the young man named Robert Gillian and Miss Hayden. Interestingly, the name Gillian means "youthful," and it is a youthful,...

The theme of this story is, quite clearly, love and human decency. It is a story (like many of O. Henry's) about what people do (and should do) for love. Young Gillian is characterized as...

Gillian is left an inheritance of one thousand dollars by his late Uncle. He is required to report to the lawyer, Mr. Tolman, how he spends this inheritance. Gillian is at his wits end on what to...

After many people give him suggestions on how to spend the money, Gillian finally gives the money to Miss Hayden. In the story, Gillian inherits one thousand dollars from his uncle. Gillian, who...

There are three instances of irony in O. Henry's story "One Thousand Dollars": It is ironic that Young Gillian does not grumble about inheriting only one thousand dollars when he has been entirely...

O. Henry's stories often express the romantic wish that people, who possess an inherent dignity, are essentially good and generous. "One Thousand Dollars" expresses this wish. Here is the structure...

This is a very interesting question! As we read the story, it is evident that Gillian is in love with Miss Miriam Hayden. Miriam is the former ward of Gillian's deceased uncle. When Gillian is...

Although O. Henry does not tell us in “One Thousand Dollars” why Gillian wants Miss Hayden to think that his uncle willed her the money, we can have a pretty good guess as to why he does. We can...

In O. Henry's short story, "One Thousand Dollars," the dissolute, self-indulgent Young Gillian, who inherits the sum of one thousand dollars and is required to render an account of its disposition,...

Old Bryson is one of the middle-aged men who frequents the gentlemen's club to which "Young Gillian" also belongs. Below, I listed different character traits and explanations of why he fits those...

The dramatic irony of O. Henry's short story "One Thousand Dollars" involves Gillian's interpretation of the will's stipulation that he must render "an account of the manner of expenditure of this...

O. Henry's short story "One Thousand Dollars" tells the tale of Bobby Gillian, a carefree man who one day learns that he has inherited a thousand dollars from his uncle—with one stipulation. He...

The main character in this great story is Robert "Bobby" Gillian, a young man who inherits an initial amount of $1000 from the estate of his late uncle. The fact that his uncle leaves him such a...

O. Henry's "One Thousand Dollars" uses many different literary devices. 1. Alliteration- Alliteration is the repetition of a consonant sound (typically) within a line of poetry. This is used to...

Exposition A "decidedly amused" Bobby Gillian leaves the offices of Tolman & Sharp where he is given an envelope containing $1000.00, a sum willed to him by his uncle. He has been told that he...

A codicil is a legal document that alters the content of a will. It also serves to explain some aspects of the will in question. In the story, Gillian was bequeathed one thousand dollars according...

Young Gillian finds one thousand dollars "a confoundedly awkward amount" because it is not enough for him to "do himself credit," and it is too much to unburden himself of it facilely...

O. Henry's stories typically contain ironic reversals that come at the end of a narrative that is constructed upon the basis of some incongruity, and "One Thousand Dollars" clearly fits this...

As is so often true of O. Henry's stories, the narrative of "One Thousand Dollars" conveys the author's light and ironic tone, as well as his sentimental mood. (It is important to note that there...

Love often changes a man, and in O. Henry's "One Thousand Dollars," the prodigal Robert Gillian demonstrates generosity and compassion alike. After Lawyer Tolman instructs Gillian that he has...

For most of the story, Gillian is shown as something of a playboy. He is presented as a person who is only interested in having fun. When he is given the money right at first, he seems really...

Young Gillian faces the immediate problem of spending the $1,000 inheritance he's just received from his uncle's will, of which he needs to account for every last penny. For most people, it sounds...

Old Bryson is the rather brusque and vinegary member of the men's club that young Gillian frequents. Old Bryson is really not old; at forty years of age, he is simply one of those anti-social men...

I was a little surprised on first reading. I thought that Gillian was disappointed that his uncle only left him a $1,000 and would be delighted that he now had $50, 000. However, on second reading...

Old Bryson, as he is described by O. Henry, is a gentleman of forty who frequents the men's club. He is important to the story in his role both as a foil to Young Gillian and as a mirror of the...

Typical of O. Henry's stories that end with an ironic twist, "One Thousand Dollars" has an ending that is both ironic and sentimental. Here is the sequence of events in O. Henry's narrative: 1....

The phrase "true love seeks nothing in return" is meant to suggest that true love is about selfless giving. To me, the story (perhaps inadventently) calls into question what it means to be...

The first quote is a reference to Gillian's inheritance. His deceased uncle has bequeathed him the sum of a thousand dollars. Gillian maintains that a larger or smaller sum would have been more to...

I would agree that the conflict in this story is that of a person versus himself. I would put it just a bit differently than you do, though. I do not think that Gillian is struggling to do...

Young Gillian actually labels himself the "black sheep" because he does not value money, nor does he work; instead, he lives off the allowance that his uncle affords him. After his uncle dies, the...

In the short story "One Thousand Dollars" by O. Henry, a lawyer informs a man named Gillian that his uncle has left him one thousand dollars. However, there is a stipulation that Gillian must give...

1. Inheritance of $1,000.00 The greatest complication of O. Henry's story "One Thousand Dollars" is indicated in the title. A young man named Bobby Gillian inherits $1,000.00 from his wealthy...

Gillian is absolutely not satisfied with the amount of money his uncle gave him. When his uncle's lawyer tells him the amount in the will, Gillian says: If it had been ten thousand a man might...

Since a flashback is a scene in a story that interrupts the present action to tell about events that happened at an earlier time, there are clearly no flashbacks in O. Henry's "One Thousand...

Gillian has probably long been in love with Miss Hayden, but because she is his uncle's ward, he has not pursued her because he knows that his uncle, who considers him a "black sheep" in the family...

Bobby Gillian's grandfather wishes to teach his nephew how to respect the value of money, so in his will, he bequeaths the young man one thousand dollars with the stipulation that he report how he...

O. Henry's charming prose-poem "One Thousand Dollars" has in it the line: "Rabbit-foot your right ear a little." This referes to the means in previous eras of applying ladies' face powder, a part...

To me, the purpose of this story (other than entertainment) is to show that people can change their ways and act in ways that are not expected of them. In this story, everyone thinks that Young...

In "One Thousand Dollars," Robert Gillian is left a bequest of $1,000 in his uncle's will. The lawyer who disburses this inheritance to him stipulates that Robert must account for precisely how he...

In "One Thousand Dollars," Gillian receives an inheritance of one thousand dollars from his late Uncle. As an added requirement, however, he is expected to spend that money, while collecting...

Gillian explains to the lawyer why he started to laugh upon being handed his inheritance. He explains that the sum he has been given, which is $1,000, is an “unusual amount.” He goes on to explain...

The irony of O. Henry's story "One Thousand Dollars" is that the spendthrift nephew of the now deceased, wealthy Mr. Gillian has never been materialistic, and the greatest anxiety that he feels is...

With the way that O. Henry writes, there are always examples of things like this in his stories. Let me list a few. Early on in the story, when Gillian is talking to Old Bryson, he mentions that...