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The Furnished room by O Henry (1904) - Coggle Diagram
The Furnished room by O Henry (1904)
Historical / social background
1904 America times of great social change
Womens movement towards liberation was gaining strength
cities were getting busy
Theatre world increased
society was becoming more self-interested and materialistic / refelected in the behaviour of the landladies
Ghost stories popular at the time / this short story was very popular when realeased
Setting
Worn, bruised, furnished room - crumbling red mansion in New York - Lower west side
Poor condition of the room and house represents the cruelty of the people in general
Style of writing
Irony
the audience know that the woman killed herself in the room but the man dos not . bitter twist to ending. shows cruelty of landladies.
Descriptions of the room and house
room personified to make it seem as if it is sick - room is full of decaying, crumbling furniture / appears to be haunted by former occupants
Symbolism of the flower
strong distinctive smell given out / suggests room haunted by Eloise. Flower represents her as beautiful, sweet and vibrant / contrasts descriptions of the house and room
Descriptions of the woman
innocent, beautiful but also distinctive - no way she could be confused with anyone else due to the mole by her left eye
Narration
Limited omniscient narrator - story seen through the eyes of an oiutside observer - creates distande and adds to the cold tone
Themes
Obsession
effort man puts in searching for the woman - he has been searching for the woman for a very long time / he visits 11 locations but stops at the 12 - he has been looking for the woman for 5 months. He is frantic and questions the housekeeper several times the location of the woman
Hopelessness
searched all over town for 5 months he gives up hope - only has negative results / the woman symbolizes hope and something to live for without her the man cannot live.
Isolation and loneliness
man feels he is facing the world alone - the room he rents seems to be monstrous in and decayed with its hipped furniture
The cruelty of the 'modern' world
New York theatre full of people who are always on the move - most people are not succesful and people are taken the advantage of - the landladies are presented as ruthless and put their financial needs abouve others / those that cheat and lie are the ones that succeed
Freytag's pyramid
Rising action
He beggins to search around the room for any evidence that Eloise had been here, belonging - he find traces uf many people but now of her. what he didnt know was that Eloises spirir and smell were there so he secreamed 'yes dear' then he ran downstairs to ask the housekeeper for the records of that room but nothing points to Eloise. He goes back to the room and the spirit and the perfume are gone
Climax
he wets his bedsheets with his tears and uses strips to block the door he then turns on the gas at full blast and goes to sleep - as he hasnt found her he is trying to commit suicide
Narrative hook
man is frustrated and realises that the room has been abused by its former dwellers. When he tries to relax and sit down he smells the strong scent of mignonette. A smell he recognises Eloise used to wear he talks to it and then is convinced that Eloise has been in this room
Falling action
the housekeeper tells the friend about the new tenant and the friend asks the housekeeper if he told the new tenant what happened in that room last week. the housekeeper didnt because he didnt want to lose his business / in that same room a woman with a mole by her left eyebrow had comited suicide (ELOISE)
Exposition
young man walking from building to building in the lower west side of Manhattan looking for a room. 12th house he visits there is an available room. He pays for the room and asks housekeeper if he remembers woman named Eloise Vashner a singer. He describes her - housekeeper says no and that stage people often change their names
Resolution
Both the young man and woman have died as a result of the cruel nature of New York city living in the early 1900s
characters
Young man
worn out from spending 5 months searching for Eloise
desperate to find her - his obsession consumes him and he kills himself just like Eloise - this shows that in this society love is the only thing worth living for and once that is gone, there is nothing
We are never told his name so that universalizes him - could be any young man
Mrs Purdy
landlady from whom the young man rents the room - a blatant liar
she puts her financial needs infront of the young mans life
Mrs Cool
mrs Purdy friend
ruthless
Eloise
presented as a victim
she is described as beautiful but she has a mark next to her eye
the spot next to her eye makes it impossible for her identity to be mistaken