After Twenty Years

📘 After Twenty Years – Study Notes

• Author: O. Henry (real name: William Sydney Porter)

• Genre: Short Story / Realistic Fiction / Crime and Morality

• Setting: A quiet, dark street in New York City, around 10:00 PM

• Tone: Mysterious, ironic, emotional

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🧠 Summary

The story opens on a dark street in New York. 

A policeman on night duty meets a man named Bob, who is waiting for his old friend Jimmy Wells. 

They had agreed twenty years earlier to meet at the same place and time.

Bob is confident his friend will show up. 

He talks about his life and how he became successful in the West.

Eventually, a man who Bob thinks is Jimmy shows up, and they walk together — but Bob notices that the man looks different. 

A few minutes later, a real policeman comes and gives Bob a note: the man he walked with was a plainclothes officer. 

Jimmy had recognized Bob as a wanted criminal and couldn’t arrest him himself — so he sent another officer to do it.

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💡 Central Theme

🧭 Loyalty vs. Duty

• Jimmy is loyal to his friend but more loyal to his duty as a policeman.

• Bob keeps the promise of friendship, but he has become a criminal.

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📚 Character Sketches

1. Jimmy Wells

• Honest, responsible, loyal

• Symbol of law and moral duty

• Chooses duty over friendship

2. Bob (“Silky Bob”)

• Confident, talkative, proud of his success

• Keeps his promise

• Turns out to be a wanted criminal

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✍️ Important Lines and Explanations

📜 “It’s an appointment made twenty years ago.”

– Shows Bob’s faith in friendship and keeping promises.

📜 “I was at the appointed place on time.”

– Jimmy keeps his promise but handles the situation differently due to duty.

📜 “I couldn’t do it myself, so I went around and got a plain clothes man to do the job.”

– Jimmy couldn’t arrest his old friend emotionally, so he fulfilled his duty indirectly.

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✒️ Literary Devices

1. Irony

• Bob waits loyally for Jimmy, but Jimmy arrests him.

• The man Bob thinks is his friend is actually a plainclothes officer.

2. Foreshadowing

• Bob's nervousness and pride hint that he may not be innocent.

3. Symbolism

• The dark street represents mystery, hidden truths, and moral choices.

4. Surprise Ending (O. Henry’s signature style)

• The reader expects a joyful reunion, but it ends with an arrest.

5. Dialogue

• Reveals character traits (Bob is proud and open; Jimmy is calm and dutiful).

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