THE CACTUS

English Prose

Short Story Analysis

Supervised by:

Muhammad Afifi, S. Hum, M. Pd.

Written by :

Atiq Zulfiati Roziya (932209415)

Eka Putri Apriliyani (932202115)

Class E

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT FACULTY OF EDUCATION

STATE COLLEGE FOR ISLAMIC STUDIES

(STAIN) KEDIRI

2017

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A. Authors Biography

O. Henry, pseudonym of William Sydney Porter, original name

William Sidney Porter (born Sept. 11, 1862, Greensboro, N.C., U.S.died
June 5, 1910, New York, N.Y.), American short-story writer whose tales
romanticized the commonplacein particular the life of ordinary people
in New York City. His stories expressed the effect of coincidence on
character through humour, grim or ironic, and often had surprise endings,
a device that became identified with his name and cost him critical favour
when its vogue had passed.

Porter attended a school taught by his aunt, then clerked in his

uncles drugstore. In 1882 he went to Texas, where he worked on a ranch,
in a general land office, and later as teller in the First National Bank in
Austin. He began writing sketches at about the time of his marriage to
Athol Estes in 1887, and in 1894 he started a humorous weekly, The
Rolling Stone. When that venture failed, Porter joined the Houston Post as
reporter, columnist, and occasional cartoonist.

In February 1896 he was indicted for embezzlement of bank funds.

Friends aided his flight to Honduras. News of his wifes fatal illness,
however, took him back to Austin, and lenient authorities did not press his
case until after her death. When convicted, Porter received the lightest
sentence possible, and in 1898 he entered the penitentiary at Columbus,
Ohio; his sentence was shortened to three years and three months for good
behaviour. As night druggist in the prison hospital, he could write to earn
money for support of his daughter Margaret. His stories of adventure in
the southwest U.S. and Central America were immediately popular with
magazine readers, and when he emerged from prison W.S. Porter had
become O. Henry.

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 In 1902 O. Henry arrived in New Yorkhis Bagdad on the
Subway. From December 1903 to January 1906 he produced a story a
week for the New York World, writing also for magazines. His first book,
Cabbages and Kings (1904), depicted fantastic characters against exotic
Honduran backgrounds. Both The Four Million (1906) and The Trimmed
Lamp (1907) explored the lives of the multitude of New York in their
daily routines and searchings for romance and adventure. Heart of the
West (1907) presented accurate and fascinating tales of the Texas range.

Then in rapid succession came The Voice of the City (1908), The
Gentle Grafter (1908), Roads of Destiny (1909), Options (1909), Strictly
Business (1910), and Whirligigs (1910). Whirligigs contains perhaps
Porters funniest story, The Ransom of Red Chief.

Despite his popularity, O. Henrys final years were marred by ill

health, a desperate financial struggle, and alcoholism. A second marriage
in 1907 was unhappy. After his death three more collected volumes
appeared: Sixes and Sevens (1911), Rolling Stones (1912), and Waifs and
Strays (1917). Later seven fugitive stories and poems, O. Henryana
(1920), Letters to Lithopolis (1922), and two collections of his early work
on the Houston Post, Postscripts (1923) and O. Henry Encore (1939),
were published. Foreign translations and adaptations for other art forms,
including films and television, attest his universal application and appeal.

B. Synopsis

The story begins with a man named Trysdale. He is in his apartment

with a friend after a wedding and seems to be troubled by the events of the
day. There is a philosophical narration about time that seems to be allusive,
but soon enough, the whole picture becomes clear to the reader through
Trysdale's reflection.

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 The serious tone continues as the narrator describes a lone cactus
sitting on a table in a jar. Trysdale's friend, the brother of the bride, drinks
alone, annoyed that Trysdale will not drink with him. As the friend drinks,
Trysdale recalls the scent of flowers and noises from the church where a
marriage had just taken place, one that seems to have affected him negatively.

The reader learns that Trysdale had ''lost'' her although we are never
told who ''her'' is, and he wonders how and why. The narrator explains
Trysdale is now looking at his true self, one stripped of ego, vanity, and
conceit. He recalls watching her walk to the altar and look at her now
husband. He lied to himself, believing she could not be happy with him. But
with that look, he saw how she used to look at him, and the rest of his ego
came crumbling to the ground. He recalled how she used to look up to him
with rose colored glasses and always assumed the best of him. It seems she
believed him to be godlike and perfect.

He thinks back to a time when she asked him about speaking Spanish
because she heard it from one of his friends,Captain Carruthers. Trysdale's
ego accepted the skill, knowing full well it was a lie. He then thinks back to
when he proposed to her. He was sure that she would be to eager to accept
him readily. She showed all kinds of emotional jubilation and her body
languange too had been one of eager consent. She said she would send word
the next day. The only thing he received was the aforementioned cactus with
a note stating its kind which he simply did not care for. Trysdale had taken
the cactus as a mark of refusal or betrayal.She, therefore, was under the
impression that he was a master of Spanish and had, therefore, very
romantically assented to his proposal in the Spanish language which he had
failed to comprehend, thus giving her a false impression of being rejected by
him.

Days passed, and Trysdale's ego was pushing him beyond his
emotional bounds. He refused to contact her, only later running into her at a

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 dinner. They shared small talk, but when nothing of their relationship was
mentioned, she became cold and distant. Trysdale's vanity did not allow him
to understand what was happening between them.

Trysdale's friend began to speak, pulling Trysdale out of his

reminiscent trance of misery. He asked Trysdale what the matter was and
joked about his horrible Brandy. He eventually asks Trysdale where he got
the cacti and says he recognizes the type. Trysdale said he received it from a
friend and that the name of the plant is on the tag. The friend asks if he knows
Spanish. When Trysdale replies no, the man translates the meaning:
Ventomarme: ''Come and take me.''

Trysdale now realizes his fault at ignoring the tag and the cactus sent
by his proposed girl friend and instead expecting her assent in the way he
expected her to give it. In his vanity Trysdale had ignored the call of bliss in
his life and it was now too late to realize it.

C. Plot
1. Exposition
Where main characters, place of the events and the mail idea are revealed.
That is what Trysdale was doing, standing by a table in his bachelor
apartments. On the table stood a singular-looking green plant in a red
earthen jar. The plant was one of the species of cacti, and was provided
with long, tentacular leaves that perpetually swayed with the slightest
breeze with a peculiar beckoning motion.
2. The climax riches its top
When Trysdale proposes lady and she says she need time. The next day she
sends him the cactus. The pick of the story is, to my mind. the moment
when the man gets to know the meaning of the Spanish words, written on
the note.

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3. Anticlimax
Trysdale is set back to a real life, away from his thoughts and imagination.
He realizes that there is no hope anymore. He lost his beloved forever.
4. Conclussion
The author gives no conclusion, in such a way stimulating the reader
evaluate the situation, to deepen.to.emotions.of.main.characters.

D. Setting
1. Place : The events in the analysed story happen in the apartment of the
protagonist Trysdale: That is what Trysdale was doing, standing by a
table in his bachelor apartments.
2. Time : after the marriage ceremony of this girl was over and the scent
of the huge bunches of flowers piled in the church was still haunting
him. His friend, and brides brother in one person is with him.
3. Social environment : The setting of the events in the given story is
rather realistic, though a bit subjective. The place where action
happens is not depicted in that detailed way, but the behaviors of mail
characters are describes rather vividly.
4. Atmosphere : The author uses the flashback technique, and this
bachelor apartments show the big regret Trysdale feels.

E. Characters
There are three main characters, whom we found in ths story. They are:
Trysdale, Trysdales friend or brides brother and Trysdales beloved or the
bride herself.
1. Trysdale
The main character of the analyzed story is Trysdale. The writer
reveals Trysdales character by indirect characterization, so we get to
know about him through his words, dids and emotions. He is a young,
unmarried man, who lost his beloved lady in stupid manner.

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 He is deeply depressed and seems unhappy. The author employs
hyperbole to depict his mood: It seemed that in his nostrils was still the
scent of the flowers that had been banked in odorous masses about the
church, and in his ears the lowpitched hum of a thousand well-bred
voices, the rustle of crisp garments, and, most insistently recurring, the
drawling words of the minister irrevocably binding her to another. All
the ceremony for him is too arrogant and pompous. It makes him feel
even more miserable than he did before. This idea is shown through use
of various epithets while describing his thoughts about wedding:
odorous masses, well-bred voices, crisp garments, drawling
words. In a way, it shows his jealousy and regret about lost love. The
poorness of the situation is also rendered through the use of metaphor
and simile: White favors like stars upon their coats shone through the
gloom of the apartment. Favors shone. Trysdale is disappointed, but that
favor shows the joy, which fills the bride.
Now he realizes how selfish, egoistic and hypocritical he was. At
last he realized that he wore the garbs of pretence and egoism, which
separated him from beloved girl (metaphor). Epithet innermost,
unmitigated, arid unbedecked self also reveals how much disappointed
and frustrated he was. When he noticed the glance of the bride during the
ceremony, he felt some hope, he thought not everything was lost. But it
was only a hope. That sullen exultation (oxymoron) shows how his
dreams face rough reality.

2. Trysdales friend, the brother of the bride.

Eventually with him, at the present moment, is his friend, the brother
of the bride. This character is described both through direct and indirect
characterization. Direct quote states the way he looked: Both men were
in evening dress. White favors like stars upon their coats shone through
the gloom of the apartment. And indirect shows what kind of person he
was. I say, Trysdale, what the deuce is the matter with you? You look

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 unhappy as if you yourself had been married instead of having acted
merely as an accomplice. Look at me, another accessory, come two
thousand miles on a garlicky, cockroachy banana steamer all the way
from South America to connive at the sacrifice please to observe how
lightly my guilt rests upon my shoulders. Only little sister I had, too, and
now she's gone. Come now! Take something to ease your conscience
He knows the pain, Trysdale feels and try to console him. Here he uses
zeugma, which creates humorous effect, to clear the air: Look at me,
another accessory, come two thousand miles on a garlicky, cockroachy
banana steamer all the way from South America to connive at the
sacrifice.

3. Trydales beloved, the bride herself.

The last character is Trysdales beloved. The lady is portrayed as
modest, childlike, worshipful and sincere. Her image is also created
through both direct and indirect characterization. Indirect
characterization is: She had always insisted upon placing him upon a
pedestal, and he had accepted her homage with royal grandeur and
With womanly swiftness she took her cue from his manner, and turned to
snow and ice. Besides, direct characterization is employed: How glad,
how shy, how tremulous she was!

F. Point of View
From the point of view of presentation the story is omniscient( the
3rd person narrative). The author seems rather close to events, but still, he
doesnt participate and gives objective opinion towards characters
feelings and emotions.

G. Tone
- Unpredictable
This story ends unpredictably.

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H. Imagery
As he slowly unbuttoned his gloves, there passed through
Trysdale's mind a swift, scarifying retrospect of the last few hours is used
to describe that the main character of this story is getting flashback when
he lost his beloved girl.
I. Irony
Irony
Without protest, he allowed her to twine about his brow this spurious
bay of Spanish scholarship
1. Verbal Irony
When Trysdale said, I dont drink just now, thanks. It means that
he regreted of his egoism and selfish in the past so he lose his beloved
girl.
2. Situational Irony
Trysdale seems hide his sadness inside his explanation to his
friend. He seems look okay but sad inside.

J. Theme
1. Things arent always what they seem.
Trysdale thought that the cactus was just a plant with a tag that had
a name on it but it was really the answer to if he would get married or
not.
2. You should pay attention to detail.
Trysdale thought that the cactus was a rejection but instead it was
an acceptance.

K. Critics
O. Henry's short stories are known for their wit, wordplay, warm
characterization, and clever twist. In our opinion, this short story is totally
awesome. Because the writer has made the story having surprise ending.
His writing has term smile with tears, because it brings a deep meaning

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 to the readers about the message inside the story. The vocabulary in this
story sometimes difficult to understand. Because it is such a classical
literary, so the reader may not know the meaning and the aim of this story.
Generally, this story is fun to read, because it tells about romance, so as
the young learner we will get the interest to read this story.

K. Statements

1. Trysdale gave the plant as one of the species cacti to his beloved girl (F)
2. The brother of bride is not Trysdales friend (F)
3. The girl loves Trysdale (T)
4. Trysdale knows Spanish well so directly he knew the tag upon the
cactus from his beloved girl (F)
5. Trysdale loses his beloved girl (T)