Question

In "Hearts and Hands," in what way does O. Henry's choice to use a surprise ending allow readers to see story details in a new light after finishing the story? Use text evidence to support your response.

Answer 1

Answer:

The surprise ending allows readers to see story details in a new light after finishing the story because the conversation between the two men reveals that Mr. Easton was not the marshal: "Oh! didn't you catch on? Say--did you ever know an officer to handcuff a prisoner to his right hand?" and then the readers would probably check if that is correct by reading the story and this sentence again: "He slightly raised his right hand, bound at the wrist by the shining "bracelet" to the left one of his companion."

Explanation:

To complete this exercise, you have to read the short story "Hearts and Hands" written by O. Henry by the pseudonym Sidney Porter. It was written in 1902 and it is about a woman that realizes that someone she knows (Mr. Easton) is handcuffed, she gets scare and the marshal (the man she did not know) lies and tells her the marshal is Mr. Easton.