What is the tone and mood of "After Twenty Years" by O. Henry?

The overall tone and feeling of O. Henry’s “After Twenty Years” is somewhat somber and reminiscent. It follows the two men, Jim and Bob, whose lives have vastly diverged over time, and it chronicles their departure and how their lives have ended up going very differently.

While they were once good friends, they haven’t seen each other in twenty years and they are now on the opposite ends of life and the law. Bob has become a wanted criminal, while Jimmy is now a police officer. Jimmy, realizing that their lives have so drastically diverged, can’t bring himself to reveal who he is to his friend, and he departs before letting Bob know that he did in fact show up for their scheduled rendezvous. Jimmy later sends another officer to apprehend Bob. Overall, the feel is very somber as the friends realize they’re no longer the same people, and the way their lives have turned out will keep them separated forever.

What is the tone and mood of "After Twenty Years" by O. Henry?

The general mood is one of uncertainty. Who are these men? Just what they are up to? There must be more going on here than meets the eye, surely. This is a deliberate strategy on Henry's part. He knows that if there's an air of mystery about the piece, then the reader will be all the more keen to find out what happens next. That the story takes place at night, when there aren't too many people around, merely adds to the intrigue.

Personally speaking, I didn't see the twist ending coming when I first read the story. But even those who have still pay fulsome tribute to Henry's skill at setting up the surprise denouement. Here as elsewhere, he hooks the audience in, using a light, unthreatening tone for this purpose. The action may be shrouded in mystery but there's nothing menacing about the tone Henry uses; this isn't Edgar Allan Poe we're dealing with here. We sense there's something going on beneath the surface, but even if we don't quite know what it is, we're fairly certain it's not something that's going to give us nightmares.

What is the tone and mood of "After Twenty Years" by O. Henry?

The setting of O.Henry's "After Twenty Years" creates a mood of mystery and secrecy. The story takes place at "10 o'clock at night, but chilly gusts of wind with a taste of rain in them had well nigh depeopled the streets."  Most people wouldn't be out on a night like this as the quote points out, so the story is immediately shrouded in mystery.  Jimmy is checking doors but "suddenly slowed his walk" when he sees a man leaning against the door of the hardware store.  The fact that Jimmy "suddenly slowed" indicates surprise and that he is seeing something out of the ordinary, adding tension to the story. 

Silky Bob lights his cigar revealing "a pale, square-jawed face with keen eyes and a little white scar near his right eyebrow."  This description clearly creates mystery and suspense, each detail slowly revealing a face that has a scar.  Most people don't have scars on their faces, so this specific detail increases suspense. 

O. Henry is sympathetic toward both characters, but especially toward Jimmy the police officer.  His description of Jimmy at the beginning of the story indicates a man who is responsible and takes his duties seriously.  He checks every business door as he completes his rounds with a "watchful eye."  O. Henry also describes him as a "fine guardian of the peace."  This portrayal indicates a respect for this character's dedication, even on such an inhospitable evening.

O.Henry's depiction of Bob is not as complimentary, although he does highlight Bob's loyalty.  Most men, especially if involved in crime, would not keep such an appointment after twenty years.  However, this also points to Bob's arrogance which ultimately sets up the surprise ending.

What is the tone and mood of "After Twenty Years" by O. Henry?

O. Henry has written a moralistic story in which he contrasts the lives of criminals and law-abiding citizens. The members of the underworld may seem smarter if they make a lot of money and avoid getting caught, but in the long run it is the honest, industrious people who enjoy the better lives. "Silky" Bob has apparently made a lot of money in his life of crime, and yet he seems like a lonely man. People like him have to keep on the run. They have no roots. They make a lot of enemies but not very many friends. He tells the uniformed officer whom he doesn't recognize as his old friend Jimmy Wells:

"You see, the West is a pretty big proposition, and I kept hustling around over it pretty lively."

As he approaches middle-age, Bob is a wanted man in danger of going to prison. Jimmy, by contrast, has a wife, a family, a home, a steady and respectable job, and peace of mind. O. Henry's story resembles Aesop's fable about "The Tortoise and the Hare," in which the tortoise wins their race because he is "slow and steady." When Bob is told that he is under arrest and being sent back to Chicago for questioning, he may suddenly realize that he has chosen the wrong way of life and that it is probably too late for him to do anything about it. 

Bob and Jimmy represent two types of men--those who want to live in luxury without working and those who are do the world's work and uphold civilization. Jimmy felt compelled to have his old friend arrested because he was an honest citizen who believed in law and order. Bob and Jimmy may have been good friends twenty years ago, but they would not have remained friends if Bob had stayed in New York and continued to follow a life of crime and indulgence. They are not really friends anymore. They are actually erstwhile friends--that is, men whose relationship is based on the fact that they used to be friends. Their friendship was deteriorating even though they never even saw each other during those twenty long years.

We feel some sympathy for "Silky" Bob because so much of the story is told from his point of view. We think he came to New York to see Jimmy, but he may have come there because he knew the police were looking for him in Chicago. At the same time, we cannot fault Jimmy for having him arrested by the other officer. O. Henry has mitigated the severity of Jimmy's betrayal in several ways. For one thing, the arrest is made politely. Bob and the plain clothes man are actually walking arm in arm. It seems possible that Bob will get off rather lightly. The arresting officer tells him:

"Chicago thinks you may have dropped over our way and wires us she wants to have a chat with you. Going quietly, are You? That's sensible."

Bob is wanted for questioning. He has not been charged with any crime. He is a smooth talker and may be able to talk his way out of whatever jam he is in. He has money too; he can afford to hire a good lawyer. 

What is the tone and mood of "After Twenty Years" by O. Henry?

The mood in “After Twenty Years” is ironic, reflective and wistful.

Mood is the emotion of a story.

This story is about two friends who agree to meet in twenty years.    They both keep their date, but one turns out to be a criminal and one turns out to be a cop.  The cop has to decide whether or not to turn his friend in. He finally decides he has to do something, so he gets another cop to arrest his friend and sends him a note.

The mood is reflective, and remembering.

"Twenty years ago to-night," said the man, "I dined here at 'Big Joe' Brady's with Jimmy Wells, my best chum, and the finest chap in the world.

It is also somewhat wistful, because things do not always stay the same.  People change.  We cannot control the change, but we sometimes have mixed feelings about it.

Finally, there is a high note of irony in the fact that one person became a cop and another a crook.

 Well, well, well! --twenty years is a long time. The old gone, Bob; I wish it had lasted, so we could have had another dinner there.

Ironically, the cop has to decide whether he wants to be a good cop or a good friend.  Will he honor his old friend’s memory, or do his duty?  He decides he has to turn him in, but he can’t do it himself.

What is the style in O. Henry's "After Twenty Years"?

The style O. Henry uses in "After Twenty Years" creates an almost cinematic feel via its use of a detached narrator. The story is mostly dialogue, and the slight amount of narration there is could almost be read as the stage directions in the script for a play or movie. Indeed, the only significant narration occurs in the first three paragraphs as the approach of Patrolman Wells to Bob is described, and then as Bob waits for his friend to appear after the policeman leaves. One could easily imagine the story as a one-act play or a short film.

The use of a detached narrator allows O. Henry to accomplish his surprise ending. The narrator cannot give away any details about the inner feelings or thoughts of either Bob or Jimmy. If he did, the fact that Bob is a wanted criminal and/or that Jimmy recognizes his friend from the beginning would be revealed, spoiling the surprise. Thus the narration reads like stage directions, simply describing the outward appearance of the scene but giving little insight into the inner thoughts of the characters. This technique also respects the reader enough to let him or her go back and pick up all the clues that were missed originally. No Sherlock Holmes-type explanation occurs at the end. Jimmy's letter stands on its own as the resolution of the story, leaving readers to develop an understanding of the characters' traits in light of the revelation provided at the end.

Although this story and O. Henry himself pre-date the era of talking films, it is fascinating to consider how O. Henry might have used his writing talent not just for short stories but for screenplays.

What is the style in O. Henry's "After Twenty Years"?

This romantic/sentimental and melodramatic style of O. Henry's stories is certainly evident in "After Twenty Years."

The sentimental element enters early in the narrative as two friends have arranged to meet each other after having parted ways twenty years ago. One of the friends stands in the doorway of what was once the diner where the two men often ate, and when a policeman on his beat stops, the man says with characteristic O. Henry unwitting irony that he is waiting for the "finest chap in the world," who will be sure to come soon.

"We figured that in twenty years each of us ought to have our destiny worked out and our fortunes made, whatever they were going to be."

As it turns out, there is the incongruity of O. Henry's stories in this statement from "Silky" Bob because during his declaration he has unknowingly revealed his destiny with the light of his match, which shows his face and diamond scarf pin. Also, his old friend Jimmy, who is actually the policeman, does not arrest him then because he is too sentimental about his long friendship with Bob. Instead, he returns to the police station where he elicits the aid of a plain clothes policeman. 

So, the ironic reversal occurs as the plain clothes man's false identity is discovered and this man gives "Silky" Bob the note that informs him why Jimmy has not met him at the location of the old diner.

What is the genre of "After Twenty Years" by O. Henry?

O. Henry's "After Twenty Years" falls under the genre of Realism.

Set in New York City at the turn of the twentieth century, this tale of the fated reunion of two old friends after twenty years, and involves some surprising contradictions. It begins with a policeman who walks his beat by checking the doorways and the store doors. As he does so, he comes to the dark doorway of what was once a restaurant and finds a man standing there.

"It's all right, officer," he said, reassuringly. "I'm just waiting for a friend. It's an appointment made twenty years ago."

While the stranger explains, he lights a cigar. As he does so, the light reveals a scar near the man's right eyebrow and a large diamond in his necktie. These distinguishing marks identify the man as the policeman's old friend, who is now known as 'Silky Bob' and wanted by police in Chicago. When Jimmy Wells, the policeman, recognizes his old friend as a wanted man, he does not have the heart to arrest the ill-fated man. After ascertaining that Bob will allow his friend thirty minutes before he leaves the doorway, Wells returns to the police station and asks a plainclothes policeman if he will make the arrest for him as he does not have the heart to do so.

In the end, while there is the ironic and fateful meeting of policeman Jimmy Wells and the wanted man 'Silky Bob,' his old friend, such a happenstance is not completely unrealistic.

What is the theme of "After Twenty Years" by O. Henry?

With the theme of "After Twenty Years" as Duty vs. Friendship, the character of Jimmy Wells finds himself placed in the difficult situation of having to perform his duty as an officer of the law on his friend from the past. Having recognized Bob as he struck a match to light his cigar, Jimmy makes the decision to feign non-recognition and continue on his beat so as not to arouse Bob's suspicions. In addition, Jimmy may have considered the fact that he does not have a gun on his person while Bob may be in possession of one (in the early 1900s, the setting of this story, beat policeman did not carry guns on them). 

Having ascertained that Bob will wait for a while before he gives up on his friend, Jimmy reports in at his police station. In his letter, he explains his actions: "Somehow I couldn't do it myself, so I...got a plain clothes man to do the job," meaning that he does not have the heart to shame his friend by arresting him. While some may judge Jimmy as a bit of a coward, it seems more appropriate to recognize in Jimmy his tremendous respect for the value of friendship. He must do his duty, but he can do it in such a way that he does not embarrass his friend. Jimmy's actions demonstrate that he still cares for his old friend despite his crimes. In this way, Jimmy is true to both his office and his heart.

What is unique about O. Henry's writing style in "After Twenty Years"?

One might call this style the use of a twist or a surprise ending. O. Henry purposefully withholds the information that the policeman is Jimmy Wells, thus keeping Bob and the reader in the dark.

The reader and Bob only know what is presented in the text. Therefore, the reader and Bob find out the truth together at the end of the story. This style is the opposite of dramatic irony. Dramatic irony is when the reader knows more than the characters. This is not the case in this story. In this story, what we have is best described as situational irony: a situation where the outcome is unexpected: Bob and the reader are surprised by the outcome together.

The policeman (Jimmy) and the narrator know more than the reader. And although the narrator is omniscient, the narrator withholds information so we can say that this is an unreliable narrator (an unreliable narrator can be one who doesn't know everything going on or one who does but withholds information).

We are given a clue that the plain clothes policeman is not Jimmy Wells when Bob notes how much "Jimmy" has changed:

"You've changed lots, Jimmy. I never thought you were so tall by two or three inches."

The unreliable narrator withholds information which leads to a situation where the ending is unexpected, a twist, a kind of situational irony.