26 pages • 52 minutes read
O. HenryThe Furnished Room
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1904A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Transience, Loneliness, and Isolation
The opening line of the text describes the population of the Lower West Side as “restless, shifting, [and] fugacious” (Paragraph 1), a depiction that immediately conveys the idea of isolated people without any relationships to keep them settled. “The Furnished Room” focuses on the pain that comes from such loneliness and anonymity, a theme evident through the descriptions of the past and current tenants of the furnished room.
O. Henry opens the story by depicting the transitory nature of the population on the Lower West Side, describing them as moving from “furnished room to furnished room, transients forever—transients in abode, transients in heart and mind” (Paragraph 1). The phrase “transients in heart and mind” evokes the idea of individuals who are unable to remain faithful to anything or anyone; they roam from one idea to the next. This theme is further shown in the description of New York, which is compared to a “monstrous quicksand, shifting its particles constantly, with no foundation” (Paragraph 14). The repetitive focus on the transitory nature of the city and its residents suggests that the population is largely isolated from one another, lacking solid connections as they struggle to survive in the great city. This fact is further supported by the number of people Mrs. Purdy lists who have rented the room in the last year, indicating that the pain of isolation causes people to constantly move on.
The link between transience, isolation, and loneliness is also evident in the tragic deaths of the protagonist and Eloise. When the young man arrives at the 12th boarding house he has visited, he is seeking reconnection with the woman he loves. However, he finds himself alone without anyone to support or help him in his search. Though he reaches out for assistance from Mrs. Purdy, she, like the city, does not offer him any comfort. When Eloise’s scent—the “essence that had vivified” the room (Paragraph 33)—is gone, the pain of being alone causes the young man to give up altogether, choosing to end his life rather than live it alone. Similarly, Eloise’s isolation and loneliness appear to have been the contributing factors to her suicide as well. While she presumably leaves home in the hopes of celebrity as a singer, she remains among the anonymous masses, unnoticed and unconnected.
Through the experiences of his characters and the bleak backdrop of the urban environment, O. Henry conveys the isolation and anonymity of a transient culture. In the story, loneliness is not just a personal emotion; it is a pervasive and shared experience that permeates the lives of those who inhabit the city. The characters’ despair and tragic fates emphasize the toll that lack of human connection can take on individuals.
The Cost of Urbanization
Though the story only contains four characters, the backdrop of “The Furnished Room” is the crowded Lower West Side of New York City with its vast population. The transience in the Lower West Side is a direct result of the fast rise in population, as the city struggles to house and provide for all its inhabitants. O. Henry’s narrative highlights the harsh realities and consequences of urbanization on individuals and society as a whole.
The portrayal of the boarding house illustrates the rapid urbanization of New York City at the turn of the 20th century. Mrs. Purdy’s establishment is one of many “crumbling red mansions” (Paragraph 3), divided into rooms to rent to “thousands of dwellers” (Paragraph 2). The deteriorating condition of Mrs. Purdy’s house reflects the fact that it is no longer a home but a commercial enterprise. The neglect evident in the house’s “reeking […] linoleum and mildewed and rotten woodwork” (Paragraph 19) reflects her lack of care for her tenants. With the number of people coming and going, she has neither the time nor the inclination to keep the building in a satisfactory condition. The constant turnover of lodgers in an ever-expanding city resembles a production line, where individuals are dehumanized and interchangeable.
O. Henry’s story illustrates the paradox that rapid urbanization causes overcrowding while, at the same time, isolating individuals. Mrs. Purdy’s boarding house is described via imagery that suggests the insanitary conditions of overpopulation. The air in the house is described as “foul and tainted” indicating a lack of ventilation, while the stair carpet is “viscid under the foot like organic matter” (Paragraph 7). The concept of confinement and isolation is emphasized in the prison-like imagery used to depict the protagonist’s room. While the “threadbare space on the rug” infers the pacing of a former occupant, “[t]iny finger prints on the wall spoke of little prisoners trying to feel their way to sun and air” (Paragraph 18). The latter description also conveys the lack of natural daylight.
O. Henry’s "The Furnished Room" explores the cost of urbanization by depicting the social and psychological toll of a rapidly changing New York City. Presenting the boarding house as a microcosm of the city, his imagery suggests that urban life is unnatural and unhealthy. Mrs. Purdy’s establishment reflects an impersonal, and materialistic culture devoid of joy or human compassion.
Hope Versus Hopelessness
Throughout the text, O. Henry contrasts the effects of hope and hopelessness. By depicting a protagonist who grapples with these contrasting emotions, the author highlights the fragile nature of hope in the face of an uncaring world. The young man’s fate demonstrates the devastating effects of an absence of hope.
One of the central expressions of hope in the story is the young man’s quest to find Eloise. In the first half of the text, the young man continues this search, believing he may find her. The strength of his faith and devotion is illustrated in the detail that Mrs. Purdy’s home is the “twelfth house whose bell” (Paragraph 3) the young man had rung and the later clarification that he has been searching for Eloise for five months. Although the narrative spans only a few hours, the protagonist is shown to experience several stages of hope and hopelessness. He is downcast when Mrs. Purdy denies that Eloise was a former tenant but revitalized when he smells mignonette in the room. Renewed faith causes the young man to spring into action, “ransacking the drawers of the dresser” and exploring “the corners of the bulging matting on his hands and knees” (Paragraph 23). The young man’s hope is finally extinguished with Mrs. Purdy’s second denial that Eloise was ever there. His swift decision to die by suicide demonstrates the depths of hopelessness.
The furnished room itself symbolizes the dichotomy of hope and hopelessness. Mrs. Purdy’s observation that “[a] good proportion of my lodgers is connected with the theatres” suggests this is a place where individuals come with aspirations of fame (Paragraph 10). However, the room has a history of dashed hopes. The story reveals that Eloise took her own life in the room, and the protagonist ultimately replicates her actions. The room’s furnishings, worn and marked by the experiences of past occupants, tell a story of fleeting hope and lingering despair. The space serves as a metaphor for the cycle of hope and hopelessness that characterizes the lives of its tenants. Mrs. Purdy’s unsentimental response to Eloise’s suicide suggests she has witnessed multiple tragedies within the room and is resigned to its bleak history.
The young man’s determination to find Eloise reveals the lengths individuals can go when they still possess hope. However, the tragic deaths of the young man and Eloise demonstrate the terrible consequences of losing hope. O. Henry links their hopelessness to The Cost of Urbanization. The city’s relentless pace and indifferent nature make it difficult for individuals to hold onto hope, as they struggle to stand out and make meaningful connections.
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