While the Auto Waits, by O. Henry

A play (by students)

Audiobook

Review

Summary

Analysis

SUMMARY
The star of this story was a delicate pretty young woman who wore a simple grey dress and covered her face with a veil, and pretended to be wealthy. Every evening she went to the park in search of rest and calm and sat on a bench to read her book, because she wanted to be where normal people go.
This girl had a kind of stalker-suitor, a young man called Parkenstacker. He knew about the girl’s habits and wandered around the places where she sat.
On the day of our story, when the young man was around, the girl droppped her book. Immediately, Parkenstacker, who was watching her, picked it up and took it to her. But she said she didn’t mind very much because there was not a good light to read and that she’d rather talking, and openly invited the boy to sit down next to her.

Parkenstacker made a flattering compliment, but the girl checked his advances.

The girl was very extrovert and talkative, and they did some polite small talk. From their conversation we can see that the girl wanted to exhibit her  high position in society, although she didn’t feel comfortable being a patrician because she had to do all the trivial things rich people do, as going to parties, restaurants, etc. She also had a lot of admirers, and this was very annoying for her; we also can see she was sophisticated and snob because she never said the boy’s name correctly, meaning she didn’t mind him at all.

As she said she was fed up with rich suitors and she’d rather have a poor one, a working man, Parkenstacker could see a possibility for himself as he said he worked as a cashier in the restaurant across the street in the night turn. But now, all of a sudden, the young woman said she had to go: her car with the chauffeur was waiting for her in a corner of the park. When the young man asked to see her again, she answered that it would be impossible. She crossed the park heading to the car, but when she arrived to the vehicle…

 

QUESTIONS

What do you know about the book she was reading, New Arabian Nights, by R. L. Stevenson?

Why the narrator repeats she is dressed in gray?

The girl forgets her book as she didn’t mind about it. In your view, why?

The girl is very seductive. What do you think it’s the best way to seduce somebody (for an affair, for business...)? In your opinion, will the arts of seduction disappear (because of the applications that help you to look for a partner)?

 

VOCABULARY

impeccancy, hovered, joss, beat, chairmen, bowled over, cue, surmise, palls, fad, kid, drone, whim, box, bondage, turf