A study on social reality’s reflection in O. Henry’s selected short stories

Language is one of the most effectively communicative ways among each other. It is also a bridge linking us with the world civilization. Besides using fluently native language, knowing foreign language is really necessary. English is the key to open the integration door. Learning English has become an indispensible need for everyone. Learning English not only knows about basic skills, grammar or pronunciation but also knows about culture as well as literature. Literature is a part of a country’s culture, heritage and history. It gives us a detailed preview of human experience. Moreover, literature is also important in learning a foreign language due to literature improves reading fluency through the expansion of vocabulary and grammar structure. Thanks to reading literatures, readers will be broadened knowledge about traditional culture, value and belief of people and gives us a deeper understanding about language we are learning. In early 20th century, American literature had important movements in drama, poetry, fiction and criticism took place in the years before, during and after World War I. The authors at this period struggled to understand the changes occurring in society. There are various themes on war, love, people, culture…which are known with many notable writers such as Ernest Hemingway, Jack London, Mark Twain, Margaret Mitchel….especially O. Henry. O. Henry is a wonderful creativeness. The most ordinary events (a menu, a drab house, a walkway to the house ...) turned into the uniqueness of his work. His story expressed the life experience and therefore his characters are placed on the real people whom he was acquainted. He wrote about social issues and economics of lower class. He put the voiceless people into his work with compassion and sympathy. His works are from these experiences of his observation and the social reality has been reflected in his books so much. The America’s social reality in early 20th century was shown deeply and wholly. Due to the reason above, the researcher decided to choose the study with title “A study on social reality’s reflection in O. Henry’s selected short stories” with the aim to do an analysis the social reflection expressed in the some short stories.

PART A INTRODUCTION Rationale Language is one of the most effectively communicative ways among each other It is also a bridge linking us with the world civilization Besides using fluently native language, knowing foreign language is really necessary English is the key to open the integration - door Learning English has become an indispensible need for everyone Learning English not only knows about basic skills, grammar or pronunciation but also knows about culture as well as literature Literature is a part of a country’s culture, heritage and history It gives us a detailed preview of human experience Moreover, literature is also important in learning a foreign language due to literature improves reading fluency through the expansion of vocabulary and grammar structure Thanks to reading literatures, readers will be broadened knowledge about traditional culture, value and belief of people and gives us a deeper understanding about language we are learning In early 20th century, American literature had important movements in drama, poetry, fiction and criticism took place in the years before, during and after World War I The authors at this period struggled to understand the changes occurring in society There are various themes on war, love, people, culture…which are known with many notable writers such as Ernest Hemingway, Jack London, Mark Twain, Margaret Mitchel….especially O Henry O Henry is a wonderful creativeness The most ordinary events (a menu, a drab house, a walkway to the house ) turned into the uniqueness of his work His story expressed the life experience and therefore his characters are placed on the real people whom he was acquainted He wrote about social issues and economics of lower class He put the voiceless people into his work with compassion and sympathy His works are from these experiences of his observation and the social reality has been reflected in his books so much The America’s social reality in early 20th century was shown deeply and wholly Due to the reason above, the researcher decided to choose the study with title “A study on social reality’s reflection in O Henry’s selected short stories” with the aim to an analysis the social reflection expressed in the some short stories Previous research 2.1 In the world In the research on “Social-realism in the short stories of O Henry and Perm Chand” by Tawnier Jehan, the researcher studied about the reality in society was shown in stories of two writers They take whether consciously or not, what their predecessors pass on to them, through the great treasure house of thought and feeling registered in their works Then from their space in time and place, the socio-political conditions of the immediate world influencing their creativity and their contribution in turn, impact the lives of people; individual lives and also certain section or class of society In another “O Henry and his short story” by Meng Lingmin, The researcher showed that O Henry’s mouths-piece of lover people, the sympathy for the poor people and its origin, reflecting the ordinary people and its origin, characteristics of his writing 2.2 In Vietnam In Viet Nam, many people like and read his stories There is also a study on “Nghệ thuật xây dựng cốt truyện truyện ngắn O Henry” (The art of building plot in O Henry short stories) by Pham Yen My, Van Hien University The researcher studied on how to build plot in O Henry stories 2.3 In Hung Vuong University There is a study on “O Henry’s warm human sympathy for common people in his short stories: “The Gift of the Magi” and “The Last Leaf” by Phan Thi Huyen In this study, the researcher analyzed O Henry’s warm human sympathy for common people in two stories However, this is the first time the study on O Henry’s social reality’s reflection in his short stories is carried out in Hung Vuong University Research purpose The research aims at: - Scrutinizing the American society in O Henry’s time, the author O Henry and his social reality’s reflection - Analyzing the social reality’s reflection in “The Gift of the Magi”, “The Last Leaf”’ and “The Furnished Room” - Finding out the messages O Henry tries to convey to the readers through the real social pictures expressed in “The Last Leaf”, “The Gift of the Magi” and “The Furnished Room” Research Questions The research will find out the answers to the following questions: - What is the social reality’s reflection in O Henry’s selected short stories – “The Last Leaf”, “The Gift of the Magi” and “The Furnished Room”? -What is the message of O Henry through social reality’s reflection in “The Last Leaf”, “The Gift of the Magi” and “The Furnished Room”? Research Methods In order to accomplish this thesis systematically and adequately, some research methods are used: - Theoretical method: Studying the related documents to give background of America society and American literature in at the end of 19th century and early 20th century, the life and career of O Henry and three short stories “The Last Leaf”, “The Gift of the Magi” and “The Furnished Room” - Analysis method: from data got from many different materials related to the topic, analyzing to get the final results - Inductive and deductive methods: are used to analyze the social reality in two short stories Scope of the research The study focuses on analyzing the social reality’s reflection in three O Henry’s short stories: “The Gift of the Magi”, “The Last Leaf” and “The Furnished Room” Design of the study The study consists of three parts and references: Part A Introduction In this part, the researcher gives an overall introduction about rationale, research purpose, research question, methods, research procedure, and scope of the study Part B The study Chapter 1: Literature review In this part, the study focus on giving the relationship between reality and literature, giving the background of American society, the feature of American literature in late 19th century and early 20th century and O Henry’s biography and literary career and his works “The Gift of the Magi”, “The Last Leaf” and “The Furnished Room” Chapter 2: The social reality’s reflection in O Henry’s stories and in “The Last Leaf”, “The Gift of the Magi” and “The Furnished Room” An analysis on the picture of social reality which is presented in three O Henry’s selected short stories about the life, destiny and love of human Chapter 3: The messages of O Henry through social reality’s reflection in “The Last Leaf”, “The Gift of the Magi” and “The Furnished Room” Through analyzing social reality reflected in O Henry’s stories, researcher will show some messages which the writer wants to send to readers Part C Conclusion This part summarizes the major findings of the study, gives implications, lists limitations, mentions suggestions, and presents conclusion In this chapter, the researcher has given the rationale, previous research, research purpose, research questions, methods, scope as well as design of the study The next chapter, researcher will present the relationship between reality and literature The researcher will also present the background of American society and features of American literature in O Henry’s time, O Henry’s life and his works “The Gift of the Magi”, “The Last Leaf” and “The Furnished Room” PART B THE STUDY CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW In the chapter of the relationship between reality and literature, theoretical background, the social background, the features of literature in late 19th century and early 20th century as well as his biography and his short stories “The Gift of the Magi”, “The Last Leaf” and “The Furnished Room” will be shown The first part is about the relationship between reality and literature The second is about background of American society in O Henry’s time The third is about American literature’s features in the early 20th century The last is about O Henry’s lifetime, his writing features, the two stories “The Gift of the Magi”, “The Last Leaf” and “The Furnished Room” 1.1 The relationship between reality and literature As being given in “Van hoc va hien thuc tam nhin hien dai” (Literature and reality in modern vision) by Tran Dinh Su (2010), literature and reality is a central problem in the theory of literature According to the analysis of American literary theorist M H Abrams, most of literary theories are all built on the relationship of the basic elements of following art activities: World (Reality) Works Artists (Authors) From the relationship between the works (literary) with the world, we have ancient stimulation theory and reflected theory today From the relationship between the works with artists, we have creative theory From the work itself in the relationship between the artists and recipients, we have content, meanings, symbols, games, entertainment Therefore, literature reflecting the reality is still a basic, important and indispensable principle 1.1.1 Literature is the mirror that reflects reality and time From the Renaissance to modern times, the ideological of realistic simulation is still primarily thought of criticism As Stanhdal in Tran Dinh Su (2010), “Van hoc va hien thuc tam nhin hien dai”, said that “Literature is the mirror of social life”, or Balzac “the writer is secretary of the times” and Lenin “if you are a great writer, your works reflects at least a few key aspects of revolution” For the masters of realism, the reality’s reflection means that looks for the value perceptions, morality and aesthetics of life, strips of lies, exposes all ulcers, rips all mask and throw oneself into the process of social progress The ideas that were expressed quite right about the relationship between literature and historical life on the overall level, means that all the events, characters, thoughts and feelings expressed in literature are the reflection of society Once there was a common assumption that along with everything else that gave meaning to literature the mastery of language and form, the personality of the author, the moral authority, the degree of originality, the reactions of the reader hardly anything could be more central to it than the text's interplay with the "real world." Literature, especially fiction, was unapologetically about the life we live outside of literature, the social life, the emotional life, the physical life, the specific sense of time and place This was especially true after the growth of literary realism in England in the eighteenth century with Defoe and Richardson; in France in the early nineteenth century with Stendhal and Balzac; in Russia at midcentury with Tolstoy; in England again with George Eliot, Dickens, and Trollope; and finally in America with Mark Twain, Henry James, and William Dean Howells, who became the tireless promoter of a whole school of younger realists 1.1.2 Reality in literature is the meaningful world created by practice According to “Van hoc va hien thuc tam nhin hien dai” (Literature and reality in modern vision) by Tran Dinh Su (2010), the concept of reality as objective existence, independent with human consciousness has been inappropriate with the fact The reality in literature is not same to the reality of the social sciences, natural sciences and politics The reality in literature closely connects to politics, but it is not entirely similar with the political reality As L.Tolstoi said that we can understand that the literature’s reality is the meaningful world that people live in it The universe, nature, people, society, culture, objects are only reality when they are meaningful for human Practice allows people to discover the sense of world for both life and arts The mean of things changes over the course of practice Literature reflects the reality comprehensively Without this tissue of correspondence to the real world, literature would be little more than a language game, a self-enclosed world operating entirely by its own rules Whatever passion or energy goes into a game, the moves have no reference to anything outside the frame; and when it's over, it's over until the next game begins Literature, on the other hand, especially fiction, has an open grid We live on intimate terms with the characters in any effective novel They sometimes seem more real to us than the people we know, in part because they're purged of accident or contradiction, purified into whatever they essentially are We may feel shocked and impoverished when a novel ends, and even speculate about what might happen after the curtain goes down Literary form lays down strict rules (such as rhyme and meter in certain kinds of poetry), but in any actual work these rules are constantly being stretched and modified, even flouted The creative process involves a curious alchemy between our perceptions and the words we find to express them, between the signifiers of language and the object world to which it beckons Realism also encouraged writers to explore the social conditions created by the growth of industry, the new working class, the expansion of cities, the flow of immigrants, the changing position of women, the decline of rural life, the impact of technology, the emergence of America as a new force in the world, the impact of war and violence, the surge of nationalism and anti-Semitism, the power of race and ethnicity, the dissolution of hierarchy, the loss of religious belief, the rise of democracy and dictatorship, the accumulation of wealth, the increase in travel and leisure, the shifts in manners and morals, the development of the mass media, and hundreds of other social changes that could be condensed into the trajectory of individual lives 1.2 The background of American society in late 19th century and early 20th century In late 19th century and early 20th century, industrialization has brought the society many important changes The simple, frugal, self-sustaining lives of the early pioneers were replaced with an industrial age which changed the country almost overnight Great cities were built along the coast lines and at strategic central point; railroads links every part of the country; and sprawling factories offered inducements workers to quit tilling the soil These changes were shown in many aspects about economy, politic and society As according to C.C Regier in The Era of Muckrakers (p.5) “In the years that elapsed between the days of Irving, Hawthorne, and Poe, and those of O Henry, great and momentous changes took place in both the economic and social structures of the country” About economy, one of the most remarkable changes affected was that of the economic condition of the country In pioneer days, almost every family was an independent economic unit The men farmed the land, engaged in lumbering and fishing, or carried on trade in their immediate localities Land was fertile and abundant; any family with energy could be self-sustaining Often women carried on such activities as spinning and weaving cloth for the market as well as for family use in the home and little hired labor was required The coming of industrial age, however, changed this simple life The great factories concentrated wealth in the hands of a few people; the bringing together of great numbers of laborers brought crowded living conditions and eliminated the old independence of the individual worker The spectacle of immense wealth and extreme poverty began to be common This great concentration of wealth, together with the settlement of all the public lands, made exceedingly slight any opportunity the working man might have to achieve economic independence and caused all kinds of social reactions in the country The spectacle of train robberies, of organized bandit groups, of riots and strikes in the laboring groups began to be a familiar part of the life of the country Tenements in the large cities brought almost unbelievable living conditions in many cases, and the growth of big business put thousands of workers on small daily wages Craft and corruption were evident both in private and in public life Beginning in 1901 and 1902, rising to its full force in 1903 and 1904, and lasting until 1911 or 1912, a passion for change swept the country About political, public resentment during the thirty years previous to 1900 expressed itself in such ways as the “granger movement”, the “ailver crusade”, and populism Largely political, these movements found little support in the respectable press for a while, but by 1904 there was a ringing chorus of abuses and protests in the newspapers and magazines The writers did not merely call attention to the existing evils; they gave specific names and dates Verbal bricks were thrown at some of the wealthiest and most powerful citizens of the land These muckrakers, as the writers were called, were intelligent, educated men and women who wore enraged at the corruption in municipal, state, and national governments They were fighting for fundamental principles, and they did not hesitate to hit hard and often Such were the existing circumstances when O Henry, William Sidney Porter in private life, began to add his voice the chorus in the early part of the twentieth century Expansionism and political crisis alongside the social transformation, was an important historical fact of United States in the 19th century This was a consequential result of industrial revolution America in the early century was a loosely structured society and every section, every state, every locality; every group could pretty much go its own way But gradual changes in technology and in the economy were bringing all the elements of the country into steady and close contact, better connectivity _transportation and the word (communication), played an important role in breaking through the barriers and breaking down isolation _ canals, toll roads, and rail roads on the one hand and publication of penny newspapers, and telegraph system gave a greater sense of togetherness to the people while big business provided order and stability Yet the other side of the story was that for many Americans this change from a largely rural, slow moving, fragmented, national social order in the mid-century was abrupt and painful which was often resisted Unfortunately sometimes resentment against change manifested itself in harsh attacks upon those who appeared to be the agents of change especially the newly arrived About society, the industrial revolution that took place at the end of the 19th century changed our country in remarkable way People left rural homes for opportunities in urban cities With the development of new machinery and equipment, the U.S economy became more focused on factory production; Americans did not have to chiefly rely on farming and agriculture to support their families At the same time, immigrants from all over the world crowded into tenements to take advantage of new urban opportunities In the end, the sweeping economic, social, and political changes that took place in post-war life allowed American Realism to prevail (According to website http://www.westga.edu/mmcfar/worksheetAmerican Realism.htm) Urbanization (the rapid growth of cities) went hand in hand with industrialization (the growth of factories and railroads), as well as expansion of farming Between 1860 and 1900, fourteen million immigrants came to the United States A great many of them settled in the port of entry This skyrocketing population led to many changes in America’s largest cities New buildings were constructed to house the growing population New schools and hospitals opened Mass-transit systems were put into operation Settlement houses came into existence in the poorest neighborhoods The rapid growth was made possible by high levels of immigration From 1865 through 1918 an unprecedented and diverse stream of immigrants arrived in the United States, 27.5 million in total In all, 24.4 million (89%) came from Europe, including 2.9 10 “Don’t make any mistake, Dell”, he said, ‘about me I don’t think there’s anything in the way of a haircut or shave or a shampoo that could make me like my girl any less” (The Gift of the Magi, p.4) Therefore, the moral of the story is that it is not the material things that matter, it is the love you have for another person, and the sacrifices you are willing to make for them “Be good for me, for it went for you May be the hairs of my head were numbered”; she went on with a sudden serious sweetness, “but nobody could ever count my love for you” (The Gift of the Magi, p.4) In the story “The Last Leaf”, a picture about the poor American artist’s life was shown However, the profound meaning of the story, as the main sound of the song, is the deep-felt love between poor artists That love is more valuable than art It makes art become alive The love is shown in the manner of Sue for Johnsy She had done everything to rescue Johnsy Old Behrman also loves Johnsy He understands and sympathizes for Johnsy’s ill Therefore, he sacrifices himself to create a masterpiece – the last leaf This last leaf rescues Johnsy Through Behrman, the theme of story is revealed fully By “The Last Leaf”, O Henry sent to readers a message which never falls: love everybody, for human’s life, that is why art survives Or in the story “The Furnished Room”, for love, the young man spent a lot of time and money to enter to New York to find his lover 3.2 Sacrifice and selflessness A sacrifice is the act of giving up something, or not having something or doing something yourself, to help somebody else As in “The Gift of the Magi”, at the beginning of the story, Della and Jim have only two prized possessions—Della’s hair and Jim’s watch Della’s hair and Jim’s gold watch are the young couple’s most prized possessions at the start of the story, and their eventual sacrifice of these items represents the couple’s love More specifically, however, Della’s hair represents her beauty and youth 47 Jim’s watch holds sentimental value for him as well, having been passed down from generation to generation In this way, the watch represents Jim’s ties to the family he grew up in—the family he leaves in order to make a new family with Della The gold in the watch can also symbolize several things, including purity, money (which the couple lacks), inner value, and permanence However, in order to overcome their poverty and to give a good Christmas present to the other, each sacrifices the item that they value the most The sacrifices turn out to have been made rather uselessly, since the gifts they buy can’t be used O Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi” is a timeless story of selflessness This story shows the true meaning of selfless love This young married couple had only thought of the others happiness when choosing the perfect gift Even while Della was contemplating cutting off all her hair, she was not concerned about herself, only what Jim would think They both gave their most valuable possessions to insure the happiness of their spouse In “The Last Leaf”, we saw how Mr Behrman gave up his life to help Johnsy He made the greatest sacrifice anybody could make But sacrifices are not always as great as Mr Behrman's The scenery in which Old Behrman draws the leaf is very flitter, special and moral In a dim and immense, cold and quiet night, the man is old and weak How to draw a leaf likes a real one The last leaf is Behrman’s masterpiece It takes Johnsy back to her life in which she can carries out her dream And also, the painting reminds readers of the great sacrifice of honest artist We make small sacrifices almost every day 3.3 Never give up or lose hope Hope is important factor in life which helps everyone overcome difficulties and achieve success In his stories, besides describing about the life of poor people, O Henry also build and create his characters hope in life This is expressed clearly through many his short stories As in the story “The Last Leaf”, Johnsy seems to be approaching her end Readers seem to be nearly strangled by her bigger and bigger desperation 48 I want to see the last one fall I’m tired of waiting I’m tired of thinking I want to turn lose my hold on everything, and go sailing down, down, just like one of these poor, tired leaves (The Last Leaf, p 181) The last leaf on the wall is hope and life of Johnsy However, the curtain is as a thin line between hope and despair, between life and death Every time Johnsy woke up, she requires pull up the curtain to see last leaf has fallen yet This is repeatedly made many times in bed suddenly becoming meaningful The life of Johnsy is not limited to the narrow space of the hospital bed that extends outward sunny wind Thus, Johnsy towards the last leaf, she does not toward death but towards longer life Evidence shows that when the last leaf refused to leave the life, Johnsy was cured The leaf symbolizes for Johnsy If the leaf brave battling the rain to survive, Johnsy also brave fight disease to live This aura sense: people need to have faith life In “The Gift of the Magi”, when Della sold her hair to get money to buy a Christmas gift for her husband, she still believed that her hair would grow up quickly Soon, she will have a hair as she ever had “Jim, darling”, she cried, “don’t look at me that way I had my hair cut of and sold it because I could not have lived through Christmas without giving a present It will grow out again – you won’t mind Will you? I just had to it My hair grows awfully fast.” (The Gift of the Magi, p.4) Or in the story “The Furnished Room”, although the young man does not exactly know his lover whether go to New York or not and he had found for a long time, he still find her However, he still believe that his lover enter there and she still alive No Always no Five months of ceaseless interrogation and the inevitable negative So much time spent by day in questioning managers, agents, schools and choruses; by night among the audiences of theatres from all–star casts down to music halls so low that he dreaded to find what he most hoped for He who had loved her best had tried to find her He was 49 sure that since her disappearance from home this great, water–girt city held her somewhere, but it was like a monstrous quicksand, shifting its particles constantly, with no foundation, its upper granules of to–day buried to–morrow in ooze and slime (The Furnished Room, p.76) 3.4 Social critique of America at that time O Henry is one of the writers of critical realism in late 19th - early 20th century The whole reality of American at the time was put into his works honestly and lively As in the story “The Gift of the Magi”, O Henry has given a picture about the poor living of a young couple Besides, he also presented the reality about the working condition which was expressed through Jim Jim is one of the representatives of employee at that time with low pay and has to work in a poor working condition In other stories “The Last Leaf” and “The Furnished Room”, the wave of immigrants in America was shown clearly Most of them were poor artists living in shabby tenements Their destiny seemed to be unstable Through the picture about reality of ordinary people in America at that time, O Henry wants to judgment and to expose the real face of America’s society This is a deceitful society Outside the gandy and busy appearance of a developing country with the whole skyline, it is full of decayed boarding house, tenements for poor ordinary people and immigrants In addition, O Henry also criticized the cold, emotionless attitude of bourgeoisie They not have love to each other Only making profit, they missed moral values They are Madame Softronie in “The Gift of the Magi” or Mrs Mc Cool and Mrs Purdy in “The Furnished Room” They are the representative of the materialistic world and primary odd to the emotional world of the story They are also the bold statement of womanhood and economic strength In conclusion, in this chapter, the researcher has found out some main messages withdrawn from three selected short stories “The Gift of the Magi”, 50 “The Last Leaf” and “The Furnished Room” These messages that O Henry wants to convey in her novel carry the educational purpose which aims to form the right thinking of love and life Thanks to these messages, people can know the basis of love and hope and how to adjust ways of judging other Doing well what the author hopes to, people can find the life more interesting and meaningful 51 PART C CONCLUSION This final part includes four sections The first summarizes major findings withdrawn from the study The second gives implications The third lists limitations of the study and mentions suggestions The last is the conclusion of the whole study Major findings Throughout what the researchers have done above, the knowledge of the O Henry’s life, career and features of writing style, the introduction of some selected O Henry’s short stories were showed In addition, readers can see that the social reality is reflected through three famous short stories of O Henry “The Gift of the Magi”, “The Last Leaf” and “The Furnished Room” Some characteristic of American society in late nineteenth century – early twentieth century are expressed through the life as well as the destiny of a segments of the population, mainly immigrants in New York City In addition, there are some meaningful messages which O Henry wants to send to readers with hope of improving their thoughts about love and life The first is the reflection of social reality in some selected O Henry’s short stories “The Gift of the Magi”, “The Last Leaf” and “The Furnished Room” First of all, a picture about the reality in American society is expressed The wave of immigrants has changed most of the appearance of cities, especially New York City There was too much immigrants to enter to New York The system of street and building were rebuilt There was many new street, new flat, new public building and so on However, behind the gaudy and twinkle of these building, there was not little the tenement and shappy flat where the poor immigrants lived Second of all, the fate and destiny of these immigrants is also shown clearly in three stories O Henry has brought his experience and fine observation into his stories The life of his characters was presented truthfully They are most of poor artists coming from different regions They are immigrants, so they rented the house and flat with low rent 52 Their life is not stable Finally, this is the sympathy and love between man and man They can sacrifice their own self for the person whom they love Last but not least, O Henry sends his messages through the stories “The Gift of the Magi”, “The Last Leaf” and “The Furnished Room” is about love, sacrifice, selflessness and hope Besides, the author also gives social critique of America The first is about love Love is more important than anything For love, they can give up the most precious things, even the life Besides, believe and hope is also always presented in each characters This helps us overcome all difficulties In addition, the author also expose the real appearance of America society and criticize the cold, uncaring world in America at that time Implications This section provides some implications for teaching and learning literature Through literature, the readers can explore about history and culture Especially, the study also provides readers the knowledge of literature and American life through three selected short stories on the major findings described in the previous section The main finding of the study shows that O Henry’s outlook on life, which he expresses through his works, is affected mainly by social background in his time Thus to know about O Henry’s plots of works students should learn about the historical context in late 19th century– early 20th century This is the time occurred many historical events in O Henry’s time In addition, the researcher suggests that students should watch documentary films and other types of films related to American in late 19th century – early 20th century In addition, the study is very helpful because it helps learners have more understanding about literature, the country and people of the language we are studying It also means for readers approach to American history Due to American life is one of the elements that express in many aspects of American such as politic, economy, education and literature is no exception In addition, from the major findings, O Henry can introduce the messages to the readers to apply in the real life The readers know the significance of true 53 love Love can make anything Love is more important than anything These messages will become the good advices for university students who are standing on the threshold of life because in real life they will get into more new relationship firstly is love then marriage One more message that the author wants to send to the readers is about selflessness and sacrifice Everyone has a heart However, the heart is good or bad depending on each one In addition, the last but not least message is about hope Never give up your hope in any circumstance If you have hope, you can overcome anything to have a happy life The author has also given a full view about the America’s society Through this reality, we have a look comprehensively about America at that time Thus, the messages withdrawn from these stories are good at educating the personality for the learners So they should be paid attention to and properly applied in the real life Thanks to this finding, it suggests the learners who want to research on every aspects related to literary works that every literary works carry the hope and wish of the authors with the aim to improve the society or develop people’s personality Therefore, after analyzing a novel or a story, you should try to find out the message authors aims to convey Finally, the universities should allocate more time for teaching and learning literature Besides, they should invest more facilities and equipment for teaching and learning foreign language such as reference books and visual aids to help students learn literature well Limitations of the study and suggestions In spite of all the efforts the researcher has made and the advices and assistance she has received, her study cannot avoid some shortcomings Firstly, because of the limitation of time and the lack of books for references, the analysis on the reflection of social reality in some selected O Henry short stories may not be as deeply as expected Secondly, the study has analyzed some aspects of American’s society expressed in three short stories about the life in urban and the destiny of immigrants; it cannot cover all aspects 54 Thus, the researcher herself hopes that other aspects which have not been mentioned here will be completed fully in further studies Moreover, this research is the opinion of the researcher, so it is encouraged for the further studies to find more creative ways to analyze a literary works Conclusion In conclusion, after an introduction about O Henry and his career, writing style and his works, after an analysis on the reflection of American social reality through three stories “The Gift of the Magi”, “The Last Leaf” and “The Furnished Room”, the study finally withdraws his messages to readers The researcher hopes that all of you have the overall look on the reality of American society as well as the life of a class in American at the end of 19th century – early 20th century Readers should have time to feel and understand about the life and people Each person is an example of life and fate The researcher highly appreciates all the comments and remarks from lecturers as well as students about the limitations of the study so that it can be improved 55 REFERENCES I Primary source O Henry – 100 selected stories (1995), Wordsworth Editions Limited 8b East Street, Ware, Hertfordshire http://idoc.vn/tai-lieu/tuyen-tap-truyen-ngan-ohenry.html (25/11/2013) II Secondary source Vietnamese authors Lê Xuân Bắc (2003), Văn học Mỹ, Nhà xuất Giáo dục Nguyễn Xuân Thơm (1997), A history of English and American Literature, World Publisher Trần Đình Sử (2010), Văn học thực tầm nhìn đại Foreign authors C Alphonso Smith (1916), O Henry Biography, New York, Doubleday, Page and company Henry James, Forman (1908), O Henry’s short stories, The North America Review publisher Langford, Gerald (1997), Allis O Henry: A biography of William Sidney Porter, Macmillan, New York, NY Lucy Belle Connaly (1940), A study of the social background of the characters in O Henry’s New York short stories, Windom Texa Lucy Lockwood Hazard (1927), The Frontier in American Literature, New York, Thos Y Crowell and company Ludwig Levisohn (1932), Expression in American, New York, Harper and Brothers 10 Maurice A B (1913), About New York with O Henry, Bookman, XXVIII 11 Pattee F L (1925), The Development of the American short story, New York, Harper and Bross 12 Perry F M (1926), Story Writing, New York, Henry Holt and company 13 Regier C C (1915), The Era of Muckrakers, Chapel Hill, University of North Caralino Press 56 Websites 14 http://phebinhvanhoc.com.vn/?p=2695#more-2695 (20/01/2014) 15.http://www.westga.edu/~mmcfar/worksheet%20on%20American%20Realis m.htm (20/01/2014) 16 http://www.shmoop.com/gift-of-the-magi/literary-devices.html (20/11/2013) 17.http://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/the-last-leaf.pdf (20/11/2013) 18.http://verona1992.blogspot.com/2013/04/analysis-of-story-by-o-henry-gift-of.html (25/12/2013) 19.http://answers.mheducation.com/history/american/Americanhistory/american -cities-late-nineteenth-century (05/02/2014) 20.http://literarism.blogspot.com/2011/02/themes-styles-techniques-ofohenry.html (05/02/2014) 57 ACKNOWLEGEMENT I would like to express my gratitude to all those who gave me great help during the completion of my study Firstly, I would like to express my deepest sense of gratitude to my supervisor: Mrs Vu Thi Quynh Dung whose precious advice and detailed critical comment have been of great assistance to me to this study I am great indebted for her enthusiasm and encouragement without her help, this study would not have possibly been completed Secondly, My sincere thanks also go to Mr Nguyen Van Hung, my teacher of English and American literature, who has encouraged me to work with American literature His lectures on literature are of important and great help for me to this research Thirdly, I should like to thank all the lectures, teachers, and staff at Hung Vuong University, especially those in Department of Foreign Languages who have created favorable conditions for me to study and write the graduation paper Finally, I would like to express my great appreciation to my family, my dear friends for their support and encouragement throughout this study Viet Tri, April 2014 Bui Thi Anh Tuyet 58 ABSTRACT American literature at the end of 19th century and early 20th century was a great trend in the American literary history with many famous authors and works American realists have brought the character and the life of ordinary people into their works However, in order to understand more clearly about social reality in America at that time, the study analyses three famous short stories of O Henry – “The Gift of the Magi”, “The Last Leaf” and “The Furnished Room” These stories present deeply the life as well as the destiny of ordinary people in America in late 19th century and early 20th century The study gives the background on American society and literary in late 19th century and early 20th century, O Henry’s life and three selected short stories “The Gift of the Magi”, “The Last Leaf” and “The Furnished Room” The main purpose of this study is to analyze three stories to indicate the American’s social reality reflected in these works through analyzing the appearance of New York City, the people’s life in New York and mutual sympathy of everyone In order to describe in detail, the study focuses on analyzing the appearance of streets as well as tenement and flat in New York City Besides, residential component and destiny of people living in New York are also presented The major finding of the study is to indicate the social reality reflected in O Henry’s short stories It also reflects vividly and elegantly humane messages In addition, it also provides a reference to English and American literature teaching and enhances knowledge of literature 59 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGE PAGE ABSTRACT PART A INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Previous research 2.1 In the world 2.2 In Vietnam 2.3 In Hung Vuong University Research purpose Research Questions Research Methods Scope of the research Design of the study PART B THE STUDY CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 The relationship between reality and literature 1.1.1 Literature is the mirror that reflects reality and time 1.1.2 Reality in literature is the meaningful world created by practice 1.2 The background of American society in late 19th century and early 20th century 1.3 The features of American literature in late 19th century and early 20th century 11 1.4 O Henry’s life and his works “The Gift of the Magi”, “The Last Leaf” and “The Furnished Room” 13 1.4.1 O Henry’s life and works 13 1.4.2 Some main feature of O Henry’s stories 15 1.4.3 O Henry’s selected short stories: “The Gift of the Magi”, “The Last Leaf” and “The Furnished Room” 18 60 CHAPTER 2: THE SOCIAL REALITY’S REFLECTION IN O HENRY’S SELECTED SHORT STORIES 22 2.1 The New York City in progress in O Henry’s selected short stories 22 2.1.1 New York’s streets 23 2.1.2 Tenement and flat 25 2.2 The contrast living condition in O Henry’s selected short stories 29 2.2.1 Residential component in New York in late 19th century - early 20th century 29 2.2.2 Fate of people living in New York City 34 2.3 Mutual sympathy 39 CHAPTER 3: THE MESSAGES OF O HENRY THROUGH SOCIAL REALITY’S REFLECTION IN “THE LAST LEAF”, “THE GIFT OF MAGI” AND “THE FURNISHED ROOM” 46 3.1 Love is more important than anything 46 3.2 Sacrifice and selflessness 47 3.3 Never give up or lose hope 48 3.4 Social critique of America at that time 50 PART C CONCLUSION 52 Major findings 52 Implications 53 Limitations of the study and suggestions 54 Conclusion 55 REFERENCES 56 61 ... in a pharmacy At the age of twenty, he was in severe pain and deteriorating health, so he had convalescence at a farm in the state of Texas He lived there two years and got acquainted with many... chapter, an analysis on the social reality’s reflection through O Henry’s social ideas and social problem in the three stories will be shown 21 CHAPTER THE SOCIAL REALITY’S REFLECTION IN O HENRY’S. .. (communication), played an important role in breaking through the barriers and breaking down isolation _ canals, toll roads, and rail roads on the one hand and publication of penny newspapers, and