Q1. Were Bob and Wells both successful men at the time of their second meeting? Justify your answer.
O. Henry was a prolific American short – story writer, a master of surprise endings, who wrote about the life of ordinary people in New York City. A twist of plot, which turns on an ironic or coincidental circumstance, is typical of O. Henry’s stories.
Bob and Jimmy were childhood friends who grew up in New York. When Bob was eighteen years old, he decided to go to the ‘west’ as he thought he could make a fortune there. He was ambitious by nature and willing to take risks. Jimmy Wells, however, stayed on in the same place. Before they parted, they met one last time at ‘Big Joe’ Brady’s restaurant. They took a vow that they would meet in the same place exactly after twenty years.
Twenty years pass by and we find that Bob is waiting eagerly for Jimmy at the appointed place. It is a cold night and there is hardly anyone on the streets. A policeman on the beat appears and Bob narrates the strange story of the pact he had made with his friend. It is clear that Bob has done quite well for himself. He is wearing a watch that is studded with diamonds. Bob readily concedes that he is now rich. He adds that he hopes Jimmy has done at least half as well. The policeman goes away. A little latter a policeman in plain clothes arrives there and arrests Bob. It turns out that Bob is a notorious criminal wanted by the Chicago police. The first policeman was none other than Jimmy, who had come there to keep the appointment.
Bob claims he is successful in life. He leads an extravagant life and flaunts his riches. But at the end of the story we come to know that he is a criminal. He is arrested and, thus, his life comes to a sorry end. Jimmy does not reach dazzling heights in his career. In Bob’s words he was always “a kind of plodder.” He is a Patrolman. He does his beat duty with utmost sincerity even in the dead of winter. Like Bob, he values the bond of friendship.
Bob, who is now a wanted criminal, is aware that the Chicago police are on the lookout for him. Yet he takes a calculated risk to keep the appointment that was fixed two decades before. He is eager and anxious to see his dear friend. Jimmy, like Bob, remembers the promise that was made. He too turns up at the correct place and time after twenty years. But, being a policeman, Jimmy at once realizes that his childhood friend, Bob, is a wanted criminal.
He places duty above friendship. When he realizes that his friend is a wanted criminal, he does not hesitate to do his duty.
Thus, Jimmy may not have become rich but his dedication and discipline are exemplary. Bob may have become rich but he is a criminal and finally lands behind bars.
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