The Furnished Room (Henry): Difference between revisions

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Created page with "{{written by AI}} {{Summary | Title = The Furnished Room | Cycle = Four Million | Author = O. Henry | Genre = short story | Year of publication = | Microsummary = A young man searched for a missing singer, renting a room in a house. Unbeknownst to him, she had committed suicide in the same room a week prior. Overwhelmed by despair, he ended his life there too. | Wikidata = }} {{Start of text}} In a district of the lower West Side, a young ma..."
 
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{{Summary
{{Summary
| Title = The Furnished Room
| Title = The Furnished Room
| Cycle = [[Four Million (Henry)| Four Million]]
| Cycle = [[The Four Million (Henry)|The Four Million]]
| Author = O. Henry
| Author = O. Henry
| Genre = short story
| Literary form = short story
| Year of publication =
| Year of publication =
| Microsummary = A young man searched for a missing singer, renting a room in a house. Unbeknownst to him, she had committed suicide in the same room a week prior. Overwhelmed by despair, he ended his life there too.
| Microsummary = A desperate man searched for a missing girl and rented a room where he sensed her presence. Unaware she had died there a week earlier, he committed suicide in the same room.
| Wikidata =  
| Wikidata =  
| Wikisource = The Four Million/The Furnished Room
}}
}}


{{Start of text}}
{{Start of text}}


In a district of the lower West Side, a young man searched for a place to stay among the many furnished rooms available. He was weary from his journey and had been asking around for a young girl named Eloise Vashner, a singer with reddish-gold hair and a mole near her left eyebrow. However, his inquiries had been fruitless, and he had yet to find any trace of her.
A young man was desperately searching for a missing girl named Eloise Vashner in the lower West Side of the city, an area known for its transient population. He went from house to house, inquiring about her, but always received negative responses. Eventually, he rented a furnished room in a house where many transient people had stayed, hoping to find some trace of Eloise.


The young man eventually found a room to rent in a house managed by a housekeeper who seemed unwholesome and untrustworthy. He paid for a week in advance and moved into the room, which was filled with the remnants of previous tenants. The room had a strange, musty smell, and the young man felt a sense of unease as he settled in.
{{Character
| Name = The Young Man
| Description = protagonist; searching for Eloise Vashner; determined, desperate, and ultimately tragic
| Emoji = 🧑🏻
}}
 
Upon entering the room, the young man sensed her presence through the scent of mignonette, her favorite perfume.
 
{{Quote|
The room was filled with the strong, sweet odour of mignonette. It came as upon a single buffet of wind with such sureness and fragrance and emphasis that it almost seemed a living visitant.
}}
 
He searched the room thoroughly, but could not find any physical evidence of her. He asked the housekeeper about the previous tenants, but she did not remember Eloise.
 
{{Character
| Name = The Housekeeper
| Description = owner of the house; rents the room to the young man; holds crucial information about previous tenants; secretive, business-minded
| Emoji = 🧓🏼
}}
 
The scent of mignonette disappeared, and the man, losing hope, decided to seal the room and turn on the gas to commit suicide.
 
{{Quote|
He turned out the light, turned the gas full on again and laid himself gratefully upon the bed.
}}
 
Meanwhile, the housekeeper was having a conversation with a friend, Mrs. McCool. They discussed the recent tenants of the room, and the housekeeper revealed that a girl with a mole near her left eyebrow, matching Eloise's description, had committed suicide in the same room a week earlier. However, she had not shared this information with the young man, as she believed it would deter potential tenants.


As he sat in the room, he suddenly smelled the strong, sweet scent of mignonette, which reminded him of Eloise. He called out to her, but there was no response. Desperate to find any trace of her, he searched the room thoroughly, but found nothing that could be connected to her. He then questioned the housekeeper about the previous tenants, but she could not recall anyone matching Eloise's description.
The tragic irony of the story is that the young man was so close to finding the girl he was searching for, but the information was withheld from him. His desperation and the housekeeper's secrecy ultimately led to his own tragic end, as he took his own life in the same room where Eloise had died just a week before.


Feeling defeated, the young man returned to his room, which now seemed lifeless and devoid of the mignonette scent. He decided to end his life, sealing the room and turning on the gas. Meanwhile, the housekeeper, Mrs. Purdy, met with her friend Mrs. McCool for a drink. They discussed the young man who had rented the room and how Mrs. Purdy had not told him about the previous tenant, a young woman who had committed suicide in the same room just a week prior. The woman had been beautiful, except for a mole near her left eyebrow.
The story highlights the transient nature of the people living in the area and the secrets that can be hidden within the walls of a furnished room.


{{End of text}}
{{End of text}}

Latest revision as of 13:42, 14 May 2023

Disclaimer: This summary was generated by AI, so it may contain errors.
The Furnished Room
 
Summary of the Short Story
from the Collection «The Four Million»
Microsummary: A desperate man searched for a missing girl and rented a room where he sensed her presence. Unaware she had died there a week earlier, he committed suicide in the same room.

A young man was desperately searching for a missing girl named Eloise Vashner in the lower West Side of the city, an area known for its transient population. He went from house to house, inquiring about her, but always received negative responses. Eventually, he rented a furnished room in a house where many transient people had stayed, hoping to find some trace of Eloise.

🧑🏻
The Young Man — protagonist; searching for Eloise Vashner; determined, desperate, and ultimately tragic.

Upon entering the room, the young man sensed her presence through the scent of mignonette, her favorite perfume.

The room was filled with the strong, sweet odour of mignonette. It came as upon a single buffet of wind with such sureness and fragrance and emphasis that it almost seemed a living visitant.

He searched the room thoroughly, but could not find any physical evidence of her. He asked the housekeeper about the previous tenants, but she did not remember Eloise.

🧓🏼
The Housekeeper — owner of the house; rents the room to the young man; holds crucial information about previous tenants; secretive, business-minded.

The scent of mignonette disappeared, and the man, losing hope, decided to seal the room and turn on the gas to commit suicide.

He turned out the light, turned the gas full on again and laid himself gratefully upon the bed.

Meanwhile, the housekeeper was having a conversation with a friend, Mrs. McCool. They discussed the recent tenants of the room, and the housekeeper revealed that a girl with a mole near her left eyebrow, matching Eloise's description, had committed suicide in the same room a week earlier. However, she had not shared this information with the young man, as she believed it would deter potential tenants.

The tragic irony of the story is that the young man was so close to finding the girl he was searching for, but the information was withheld from him. His desperation and the housekeeper's secrecy ultimately led to his own tragic end, as he took his own life in the same room where Eloise had died just a week before.

The story highlights the transient nature of the people living in the area and the secrets that can be hidden within the walls of a furnished room.