89. After Twenty Years(25) (Alte/3rd Sem)

1. Who wrote 'After Twenty Years?'

A:- O'Henry wrote 'After Twenty Years.'

2. What is O Henry's original name?

A:- William Sydney Porter is the full name of O'Henry.

3. What is the main theme of the short story?

A:- Duty and friendship are the main themes of the short story.

4. Which are the characters in the short story?

A:- There are three characters in the story. Jimmy Wells and Bob are the main characters in the short story. There was tall man too who was another cop and had come to arrest Bob. Jimmy and Bob were round characters whereas the tall man was a flat character.

5. Who was Bob?

A:- Bob was a 38 years old friend of Jimmy. He was a true and sincere friend who wanted to fulfill his promise of meeting his friend Jimmy at any cost.

6. What is the setting of the short story?

A:- New York is the setting of the short story.

7. Who is the protagonist?

A:- Jimmy Wells, the police officer is the protagonist of the short story. He is dutiful and honest. To him, duty was superior than friendship. He is a round character and evolves out of friendship to save the laws of the country. Even his friend Bob called him the finest man.

8. Describe the first scene in the story.

A:- The first scene shows a policeman on duty or foot patrol at around 10 p.m in a deserted area in New York. There was cold wind was blowing at that time.

9. What is the most significant happening in the story?

A:- The most significant happening in the story takes place when Jimmy Wells sends a police officer in plain clothes to arrest Bob.

10. What is the climax?

A:- Bob identifies that the man he is talking to is not his friend. Actually the man is a police officer in plain clothes. He gives Bob a letter from Jimmy from which Bob learns that the police officer whom he met earlier was Jimmy his old friend.

11. Describe the policeman.

A:- The policeman moved very impressively and naturally in his area of duty. He was very vigilant on the people's movements on the main road. He also kept spinning his stick in a very artistic manner.

12. What did the man in the doorway tell him?

A:- The man in the doorway assured the policeman that he was not going to do any illegal activity there. He was just waiting for a friend who had made a promise to meet him there after twenty years back.

13. How did Bob describe Jimmy?

A:- Bob said that Jimmy Wells was his best friend and the finest person in the world. They were like brothers and both grew up in New York. Bob said that at that time he was eighteen and Jimmy was twenty years old.

14. How did the patrolman know that Bob has been doing well?

A:- Bob pulled out a handsome watch having the lid set with small diamonds. Then the patrolman came to know that Bob had been doing well.

15. When did Bob realize that the man he was talking to was not Jimmy Wells?

A:- While talking both Bob and the patrolman came near a drug store. Their faces were visible to each other. Suddenly, Bob noticed that the man's nose was completely different than Jimmy's. Bob was indignant and drew his arm back from the man's grip.

16. How did the patrolman realize about Jimmy's being rich?

A:- The patrolman noticed the big diamond scarfpin and diamond studded watch of Bob which made him realize that Jimmy made good wealth in the West.

17. What is the main conflict in the short story?

A:- The central conflict in 'After Twenty Years' is an internal contest in between duty towards law and true friendship. The policeman Jimmy Wells is torn between his duty as an officer of the law and his loyalty and friendship to his friend 'Silky' Bob, the latter who had indulged in unlawful duties. It is internal conflict because Jimmy transferred the duty to a fellow policeman to arrest Bob. Bob was being hunted by the Chicago cops. Jimmy did not let Bob know that he called him to that old place or restaurant only to get him arrested by the other policeman.

18. When was it published?

A:- 'After Twenty Years' was published in 1906 in the anthology 'The Four Million.'

19. What was the rising action?

A:- The rising action took place when the policeman was impressively moving with a 'watchful eye' on the streets of the city. He moved like the guardian of peace and came across a man in the doorway of what was once Brady's restaurant. The man in the doorway, who was actually Bob, lit a cigar and talked with the officer telling him that he was meeting an old friend after twenty years in that place.

20. How is the end of the story?

A:- The story has a surprising end or twist in the tale which is also called O' Henry ending style.

21. How did police recognize Jimmy?

A:- Jimmy's letter shows he was the policeman who conversed with Bob in the beginning of the story. In the letter, Jimmy mentions he was on time to meet Bob. The contents of the letter shows that Jimmy was the police officer.

22. How did Silky Bob earn?

A:- Silky Bob has made money as a criminal out West. He is caught when his old friend Jimmy who became a police officer recognizes him as a wanted man.

23. How was O'Henry's writing?

A:- O' Henry originally wrote for earning money. But in this course of time, he became a unparalleled writer. His stories were filled with entertainment, playfulness, sharpness and stoicism. He used allusions, wit and surprise, unpredictable endings in his stories.

24. Was O'Henry a realist writer?

A:- Yes, O Henry was a realist writer. He pictured down lives as he witnessed around him. He wrote about common American lives instead of the higher classes. There was also the element of Romanticism in his writings as he pined and expressed the essence of deep feelings prevailing inside man's hearts. So, he was both a Realist and Romantic writer.

25. What is a flat and a round character?

A:- A flat character in any literary piece hardly evolves. He or she remains as they are till the end of the story. Whereas, a round character evolves or changes as per the requirements of the plot of the story in the course of the story.