Babes in the Jungle Flashcards
by O. Henry — tap or click to flip
Flashcard Review
Flashcards: Babes in the Jungle
Why does Billy Pescud decide to move to New York City?
He notices gray hairs and can no longer remember the names of Russian admirals, taking these as signs he is getting too old for honest swindling out West and should follow Montague Silver's advice to try New York.
How much money do Silver and Pescud pool together for their New York scheme?
They pool $2,200 totalΒSilver contributes $1,200 and Billy contributes $1,000.
What does the fake J. P. Morgan claim he wants to buy?
He claims he is desperately searching for a Leonardo da Vinci painting called "Love's Idle Hour" and would pay $50,000 to $75,000 for it.
Where does Silver spot the painting he believes is "Love's Idle Hour"?
He sees it hanging behind the desk of a pawnshop on Seventh Avenue, which they visited while Klein was buying cuff links.
How much do Silver and Pescud pay the pawnbroker for the painting?
They pay $2,000, nearly their entire pooled savings of $2,200.
What does Silver discover when he takes the painting to Morgan's office?
He learns that the real J. P. Morgan has been in Europe for a month, and the painting is a mass-produced department store print sold for $3.48.
What role does the visit to the pawnshop play in the con against Silver and Pescud?
Klein deliberately leads them past the pawnshop so Silver will spot the planted painting, making Silver believe he has stumbled upon a priceless artwork by coincidence.
How is Montague Silver described at the beginning of the story?
He is introduced as "the finest street man and art grafter in the West," a supremely confident con man who believes New Yorkers are the easiest marks in the country.
How does Billy Pescud's attitude toward New York differ from Silver's?
Billy is cautious and skeptical from the start, saying the city people "don't look easy to me" and wishing he had stayed with his small business in Little Rock.
What is Klein's true role in the story?
Klein poses as a friendly hotel acquaintance but is actually part of the con, orchestrating the introduction to the fake Morgan and leading the victims to the pawnshop where the worthless painting is planted.
How does the fake Morgan make his impersonation convincing?
He wraps a Turkish towel around his foot to mimic gout, walks with a cane, casually references railroads and Wall Street, and asks about a one-eyed man from the West to seem folksy and authentic.
Who is the narrator of "Babes in the Jungle"?
Billy Pescud narrates the story in the first person, recounting his misadventure with his partner Montague Silver in New York City.
How does the story illustrate the theme of hubris?
Silver's arrogant belief that New Yorkers are gullible fools blinds him to his own vulnerability, making him the perfect target for a more sophisticated con.
What does "Babes in the Jungle" suggest about the difference between urban and rural cunning?
It subverts the assumption that experienced Western con men are more clever than city dwellers, showing that New York's swindlers are even more skilled and that overestimating one's own street smarts can be fatal.
How does the theme of appearance versus reality function in the story?
Nothing is what it seems: the friendly acquaintance Klein is a con artist, the distinguished financier is an impersonator, the priceless painting is a cheap print, and the would-be predators are actually prey.
What moral lesson does the story convey about greed?
Greed overrides judgment. Silver and Pescud are experienced enough to recognize a con, but the promise of enormous profit from reselling the painting for $75,000 makes them abandon their caution.
What type of irony drives the central plot of the story?
Situational irony: two professional con men, who have spent the entire story boasting about how easy it is to swindle New Yorkers, are themselves thoroughly swindled by New York con artists.
How does O. Henry use foreshadowing through Billy Pescud's dialogue?
Billy repeatedly expresses doubt about their prospects, saying New Yorkers "appear to possess instincts of self-preservation" and "don't look easy to me," hinting that the overconfident Silver is heading for a fall.
What is the effect of the first-person vernacular narration?
Billy's colloquial, humorous voice establishes the characters as colorful, uneducated rogues while creating a conversational intimacy that makes the final twist more surprising and entertaining.
How does O. Henry use the "con within a con" structure?
The story nests one swindle inside another: Silver and Pescud come to New York to con people, but their entire experience is itself an elaborate con run by Klein and the fake Morgan, creating a layered, ironic narrative.
What does "superannuated" mean as Silver uses it in the story?
It means retired or outdated due to age. Billy asks Silver whether he came to New York because of mental decline (paresis) or simply being too old for the game (superannuated).
What does Silver mean by calling New Yorkers "metropolitan hayseeds"?
It is an oxymoron combining "metropolitan" (sophisticated city dwellers) with "hayseeds" (naive rural people), reflecting Silver's belief that despite living in a big city, New Yorkers are as gullible as country folk.
What is an "art grafter" in the context of this story?
A con artist who specializes in art-related swindles, such as selling fake or misrepresented paintings. Ironically, Silver the art grafter falls for an art-based con himself.
Who says "In the West a sucker is born every minute; but in New York they appear in chunks of roe" and what does it mean?
Montague Silver says this, exaggerating that while easy marks appear one at a time out West, New York produces them in enormous clusters like fish eggs, emphasizing his overconfident belief that the city is ripe for swindling.
What is the significance of Silver's remark that he sold gold mining stock to a policeman on the way to the station house?
It illustrates Silver's inflated view of how gullible New Yorkers areΒhe claims even a police officer arresting him for fraud was foolish enough to buy his stock, reinforcing Silver's dangerous overconfidence.
What does Billy mean when he says there "ain't enough rus in urbe" about New York?
He is using the Latin phrase meaning "country in the city," expressing his discomfort that New Yorkers lack the rural naivety he is accustomed to exploiting and do not seem like easy targets.