After Twenty Years

“After Twenty Years” (1906) is written in the genre of realism, in which a true reflection of regular life is emphasized in a neutral and objective manner. Realism typically focuses on the development of characters and their daily occurrences and preoccupations, especially those that belong to the middle class (waitresses, police officers, etc.) and the lower class (unhoused, factory workers, etc.). O. Henry also wrote stories about those outside of mainstream culture, such as criminals. O. Henry uses realism to help the reader question their preconceptions of those deemed socially unacceptable: the unhoused are just unlucky, and the criminal is still loyal to their childhood friend. Realism’s job is not to directly preach to the reader with an obvious lesson given by a narrator but to simply represent situations as they are and let the reader find the lesson. Realism played a crucial role in journalistic integrity and civil rights; rather than romanticizing suffering, crime, and injustice, it details it, leaving the reader with no choice but to accept that the injustice is actually happening and action must be taken, or at the very least, understanding must be given to the human behind the sufferer and the outlaw.

O. Henry uses realism to upend the predictable aesthetics and moral ideals of typical romantic literature through various means, and particularly in his characterization of the American West in “After Twenty Years.” Henry was writing during a time when the West, or the Wild West, was romanticized as a wide-open land full of ideals of freedom and myths where men, such as the lawless hero Buffalo Bill or the dreamers and visionaries of the Gold Rush, are beyond the grip of law and order. For these men, the economic or class situation they were born into did not determine their fate; as long as they are resourceful, tenacious, and hardworking, they are able to take their destiny into their own hands, and Americans were captivated with tall tales of that untamed land. At first, O. Henry’s writing seems to be using realism to prove those preconceptions of the Wild West. At the plucky age of 18, Bob leaves his best friend and his childhood behind in New York City to adventure into the great unknown to seek his fortune and fulfill his manhood. Not only does he affirm, 20 years later, that the West gave him everything he wanted, but it taught him to “hustle,” giving him a “razor edge.” Bob celebrates the robust individuality and independence that the West rewards, saying he “had to compete with some of the sharpest wits going to get my pile” (Paragraph 13). He appears to have successfully experienced the American Dream by pursuing the so-called “frontier spirit” that rewards adventurers and risk-takers.

However, we quickly realize that Bob does not represent the wholesome exploration and growth of the prototypical West, but rather its dark underbelly. Bob values his wealth and victories above the needs and safety of society. Bob egotistically flaunts his jewelry and cigar, but the reader sees a foreshadowing of the true reality of his adventures by his “pale” face, “keen eyes,” and scar, which betray his rough, frightening life (Paragraph 6). Even though O. Henry does not directly condemn Bob’s criminal activity (besides through his arrest by the plainclothes officer, the representation of the law), Bob is contrasted with Jimmy’s deep commitment to keeping his community safe (the story begins with Jimmy going above and beyond to make sure his beat is secure by checking that all the doors are locked), and the story makes the argument that Jimmy is the more successful of the two, regardless of wealth.

Bob sanitizes his time in the West and leaves out key elements, such as his crimes and his outlaw nickname: “Silky” Bob. And yet, as “Silky” as Bob is, he still travels hundreds of miles to keep a promise to a friend he hasn’t communicated with in 20 years. During their separation, Bob changed from someone who hangs out with a good person like Jimmy to someone who hangs out with any character who could help him become more successful and prosperous, regardless of the means. However, he doesn’t change his fundamental longing for the basic fulfillment of friendship. He may have no faith or loyalty in the law, but he has all the faith and loyalty in his childhood friend.

Thus, O. Henry is able to show the dark side of the Wild West while humanizing the outlaw trope, a figure that is either demonized or legendized in popular culture. In O. Henry’s story, criminals do receive imprisonment and punishment, but they also deserve understanding and have the same longings and desires as the rest of us: family, friendship, and the foundational American right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.