Congratulations for reaching Year 4 of your American English studies. This year we will read numerous American short stories to build American English listening and reading comprehension skills. Please pay close attention to each American short story assigned here and share your insights and what you’ve learned in the comments section below.
Directions: Listen and read each short story and then share what you learned in the comments section below.
4.9.4: Lesson 9- American short stories.
The name of the story for this week is, ” The Count and the Wedding Guest”.
Written by O.Henry
O.Henry is a master of short stories known for his twist endings in the story. Andy Donovan and Miss Conway are the two main characters of the story, and the third one is an imaginary figure. Miss Conway is a small and quite young lady. Andy Donovan is a charming, friendly and sociable young man. Andy meets Miss Conway at his second avenue boarding house in a party. It’s a dramatic meeting, she enters any’s house with a sad face and her dress is all black. Andy’s attention is captured, when he sees her dressed in all black. He thinks that she has lost someone of her family that’s why she is wearing black dress which is considered a mourning dress. She pretends to be mourning her deceased fiancé, Count Mazzini. Andy decides to try wins her heart. they start to spend their time together. Andy falls in love with her. As they spend more time together, Miss Conway shows him a photograph of her fiancé, Count Mazzini. Eventually they announce their engagement and Andy tells her that he has a friend, Big Mike Sulivan who wants to attend their wedding, for some reason, he could not invite him.
Meggy, (Miss Conway) tearfully admits to Andy that she has lied about the count or her fiancé. She has never had a boyfriend before and has made up the story to keep up with the other girls. She has brought the photograph and created the story, so she could wear black, which she believes made her look more attractive and she will get sympathy of the people. Andy forgives her. The twist of the story is when Andy reveals that the photograph of the supposed Count Mazzini is actually his friend, Big Mike Sulivan.
The theme of the story is love, connection. loneliness and honesty.