After Twenty Years By O'Henry | Question Answer | Summary | The CHSE Student

  AFTER TWENTY YEARS

By O’ Henry

 

After Twenty Years

Introducing the author

William Sydney Porter (1862 -1910), known by his pen name O Henry, was an American writer. His short stories are known for their wit, wordplay, warm characterization and surprise.

 

Summary

Twenty years later, Bob re-appeared and stood outside a restaurant where he and Jimmy parted their ways. Jimmy, who has now become a policeman, was making his rounds at 10’O clock. On his way of a hardware store, that was closed, he got encountered to Bob, with an unlit cigar in his mouth.

Bob knew that the policeman was definitely going to have suspicion on him, so he immediately assured the constable that he is not a burglar and he has just come to meet one of his closest childhood friend, whom he had kept the promise of meeting once again and sharing their life achievements.

He goes on to light his cigar and tell the police that why he and his friend have planned to meet at such an isolated and dark place. Bob kept on telling about the alternation in his life that how rich and successful he has become.

He further talks about his friend, Jimmy by appreciating his practicality that Jimmy is never going to dismiss the agreement made between them, as he has always been a good companion.

Someone Appears

Jimmy, without revealing his identity, dismisses from the place and after twenty minutes another man comes to Bob. Both Bob and the man greeted each other but after few conversation, Bob realised that the man, whom he was talking to, had a different nose than that of Jimmy. After the encounter, Bob noticed that the unknown man has just pretended to be Jimmy and Bob was under arrest for ten minutes.

Then the man informs Bob, that the person, with whom he was talking to before was actually none other than Jimmy and he has now become a constable so it was awkward for Jimmy to arrest his own best friend and he had left before he could get recognised and found a plain-cloth officer to arrest him.

It was the ending, when the readers are made aware of the fact that both the friends had gone entirely to different and opposite directions in their respective lives, where one cannot even think to befriend the other.

 Question Answer

Unit-1

1. How does the writer describe the atmosphere of the story?

Ans: The story begins with a policeman doing the patrolling duty in a street of New York. The time was 10 o’ cluck at night. The strict was almost calm and quiet and people had gone home in the early hours of the evening because of bad weather. The business houses were mostly closed and darkness covered the major part of the street. It was all due to chilly winds and light raining. Few lights were coming from a cigar store, and whole-night hotel and one or two tailoring shops completing the day’s work. The area coming under the lamp-pots were little lighted. Thus, the atmosphere was somewhat unsuitable and unfavorable.

2. How did the policeman perform his duties?

Ans: The policeman was on the route doing patrol duty. He was moving smartly. His smartness was real and not for the show. It was night and most of the business houses in the street were closed early due to bad weather. There was darkness everywhere except light coming from a few shops and lamp-posts. In spite of this, the policeman was inspecting every closed door. He was holding a lathi and making some funny movements. The policeman, with his well-built figure and smart movements was proving himself as the guardian of law. He was very watchful and cast his eyes on the entire peaceful road. He was seriously searching for a notorious criminal from Chicago. This duty was assigned to him by his boss and he was very confident as a dutiful officer for the last eighteen years to do the job perfectly.

3. What picture of the wanted criminal do you get from the next?

Ans: The picture of the wanted criminal given to the policeman in the morning of the said day was as follows. The criminal had a pale face, square jaws, deep and dark eyes, and a little white scar near the right eyebrow. The criminal’s name was not known and he was involved in a serious affair of printing counterfeit notes. The criminal was from Chicago. The policeman had a five dollar note and a reconstructed photograph of the criminal in his pocket.

4. How did the stranger try to interact with the policeman?

Ans: The stranger, who was standing in front of a darkened hardware store, saw a policeman coming toward him. He thought that the policeman would suspect him as he did not know his story. So when the policeman walked up to him, he said to him that he was just waiting for a friend. It was an appointment made twenty years ago. It was true, though it seemed funny. To remove the doubts of the policeman, he narrated that about twenty years ago there was a restaurant where this store stands. Its name was “Brady’s restaurant”. Then the policeman said that it was changed into a store just five years ago. In this way the stranger interacted with the policeman.

5. How did the policeman see the stranger’s face?

Answer. The stranger standing at the doorway of the hardware store was interacting with the policeman. As the place was dark the face of the stranger could not be seen. In the meanwhile, he wanted to smoke and thus struck a match and lit his cigar. This provided a chance to the policeman to see the face of the man.

Unit-2

1.  What was the appointment made between two friends twenty years before?

Ans: The two friends in the story are Bob and Jimmy wells. Both were born and brought up in New York and bred like two brothers. When they came of age, Bob went to the west to make his fortune but Jimmy stayed in New York. On the day of parting, they had dined together in a restaurant and agreed that night they would meet here again exactly twenty years from that date and time in spite of their distance and living conditions. This appointment was made between two friends twenty years ago.

2. What information about the friends do you gather from their conversation?

Ans: After listening to the man about their appointment that was made twenty years ago, the policeman expressed his curiosity to know more about them. He asked the man about their correspondence, if any, during this long gap. The man said that they were in touch for a year or two but after that they lost contact with each other. It was perhaps due to an increase of work and personal involvement. He said that though Chicago was his main place of living, he moved extensively in and outside of it. Then shifting his mind to his friend the man said that his friend jimmy was always very sincere and true to his words. He would never forget their appointment. He would definitely meet him.  He had come from a distance of a thousand miles to meet him and it would be worthwhile if his old friend came back. Saying so he looked at his diamond watch and the time was ten twenty-five. He said that it was exactly half-past ten when they parted there at the restaurant door twenty years ago. This Brady’s restaurant had been changed into a hardware store. The policeman asked about his good income in the west which he admitted. He also expressed that his friend Jimmy would be earning at least half of his income. Though a good human being, Jimmy was very slow in brain. He had to compete with the cleverest people of the world in Chicago for his livelihood. He said that life in the west was very fast and one had to struggle hard earning and living. But the New York one becomes very ordinary. The policeman listened to all these and told him that his friend would be coming around. Before leaving him, he asked him whether he would wait for his friend or not. The man said that he would wait for his friend for an hour only. He would definitely come by that time. In short, two friends naturally exchanged pleasant words and talked about old times without recognizing each other.

Unit-3

1. How long did the man from the west wait? What was the weather then?

Ans: The man from the west waited about twenty minutes and then a tall man in a long overcoat came from the opposite side of the street to meet him. The weather then was very bad. The wind was too cold and the rain was continuing. People who were out hurried up home.

2. How did the man from the west and the man in a long overcoat greet each other?

Ans: When the man from the west was waiting at the doorway of the hardware store, the man with a long overcoat appeared. Looking at the man at the hardware store he doubtfully asked, “Is that you bob?” “Is that you, Jimmy wells?” asked bob. Then they could know each other and shook hands. “Bless my heart” exclaimed the new arrival. In this way, they greeted each other.

3. When did Bob release that the tall man he had met was not Jimmy wells?

Ans: When Bob and the tall man reached the medicine store walking arm in arm, they could see each other’s faces in the electric lights. Bob suddenly stopped by leaving his arm. He thought that this tall man with a flat nose would be Jimmy Wells, who had a sharp nose. One could be 6 to 8 inch long in twenty years time but it is not long enough to convert a sharp nose to a flat nose. Thus bob realised that the tall man he had meet was not jimmy wells

4. Why did Jimmy get Bob arrested?

Ans: Jimmy, who was a policeman, was a man of principle, honest and dutiful. Bob, on the other hand, was a professional criminal who printed counterfeit notes and earned easy money. Once upon a time twenty years ago they were good friends. Before they got separated, they had promised to meet each other at the Brady’s restaurant where they had taken their last dinner. But when they met, Jimmy saw the face of the man who was wanted in Chicago. The responsibility and devotion of his duty made him ignore his personal relationship. Therefore he got him arrested.

5. Did Jimmy keep his appointment with Bob after twenty years? What consideration did he show for his old friend?

Ans: Yes, Jimmy did so because he was exactly on time at the hardware store where they decided to meet after twenty years. He kept his appointment. At the same time, he was assigned the duty to catch a notorious criminal from Chicago. He had the reconstructed photograph of the criminal with him that matched the face of his friend. So he did not disclose his identity. As a policeman he considered his duty more than his friendship. Thus instead of enjoying it with his old friend Bob after twenty years, he made him arrested by another policeman who played the role of Jimmy wells. Though he did not arrest his friend directly, he did it by another policeman. This could be his only consideration for his old friend.