O. Henry Essay, Research Paper

O. Henry was the pen name for William Sydney Porter an American short story writer. Porter was born on September 11, 1862, in Greensboro, North Carolina, the son of Dr. Algernon Sidney and Mary Jane Virginia Porter. When Porter was three, his mother died, and his father, his brother, and he moved into the house of his grandmother and his Aunt. Until age fifteen Will attended his Aunt s school. This was his only formal education, and under the tutelage of his aunt, Evelina Maria Porter, he developed his lifelong love of books. Porter eventually found himself to be in Texas where he became the editor and publisher of the Rolling Stone. At some point Porter was charged with embezzlement; he fled the country and was to live in Central America. upon receiving word that his wife back in the States was stricken with a terminal illness, Porter returned home to be with her during her hour of need. On July 25, 1897, his wife died, and in February 1898 Porter was declared guilty and sent to serve five years in a federal penitentiary in Ohio. During his prison years, Porter wrote at least twelve stories. At the time of his death (1910), he had produced hundreds of short stories. His most famous works include The Gift of the Magi, The Furnished Room, and The Ransom of Red Chief.

Many of the stories written by Porter were modeled around his own life. One example is Retrieved Reformation. Which is about a safe cracker who gets out of jail. That obviously came from, or at least was influenced by his time in the state penitentiary. Also many of Porter s stories include tid bits, or have a lot to do with ranch life which probably came from his two years on a ranch, herding sheep. William Porter has lead a very interesting life, his own life sounds a lot like it could have been written by Porter, himself.