Page 168 - DENG202_ELECTIVE_ENGLISH_III

Unit 12: A Lickpenny Lover by O Henry

Thus, O Henry compares Masie to Maltese cat and Psyche, to mythological goddesses Hebe and Notes
Minerva describing her good - looking appearance with the help of simile and antonomasia:
“She had listened to the promulgated wisdom of the 2,999 other girls and had stored it in a brain
that was as secretive and wary as that of a Maltese cat”.
“Masie confronted him behind her counter with a questioning look in eyes as coldly, beautifully,
warmly blue as the glint of summer sunshine on an iceberg in Southern seas”.
“She curved an arm, showing like Psyche’s through her shirt-waist sleeve...”
With the help of irony and repetition the author shows that even this female character is young,
inexperienced and naive, she knows the way of behaving with men and that you don’t have to
believe them, but be exacting and harsh:
“If I could meet a man that got stuck on me the third time he’d seen me I think I’d get mashed on
him.”
“But I’ve got to be back home by eleven. Ma never lets me stay out after eleven.”
“Masie knew men, especially men who buy gloves”

Afterwards, when feelings between Masie and Irving becomes mutual, the author describes an
emotional state of the young girl using exclamations and rhetorical questions:
“The gentleman asked permission to call!” answered Masie with the grand air, as she slipped
Carter’s card into the bosom of her waist.
“Gee!”, sighed Masie thankfully. Why didn’t you ever think to that before?”
“Oh, aint you a kidder!” smiled Masie. “How many other girls did you ever tell that?”

As well with the help of exclamation and enumeration we get to know that Masie is a poor girl
who is a little bit ashamed of the conditions in which she lives, maybe that is why the girl has to
work being so young:
“Oh, gee, no!”, she said emphatically. “If you could see our flat once!”
“The street-corner is her parlour, the park is her drawing-room, the avenue is her garden
walk...”
At the end of the story when both Masie and Carter are sure that they are a perfect couple, the
young girl is shown from a bit different side. She criticizes her man for being naive and greedy
when discussing Carter with her friend Lulu in a store. The point is that Irving has an intention
to marry her and take abroad, but Masie seems to understand him in a wrong way and believes
that he is a poor liar:
“Oh, him?” said Masie, patting her side curls. “He ain’t in it any more. Say, Lu, what do you think
that fellow wanted me to do?”
“Go on the stage?” guessed Lulu, breathlessly.
“Nit; he is too cheap a guy for that. He wanted me to marry him and go down to Coney Island
for a wedding tour!”
As far as we can assume, Masie is a two-faced person. Firstly she believes that her feelings with
Carter are real (as she knows that he is a millionaire). On the other hand, Speaking when Masie
realizes that he is just one of those talkative “cheap” guys who can promise much but do
nothing, she breaks the relations with him.

Speaking about the other main character, Irving Carter, the first impression of him the author
presents with the help of enumeration and irony:

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