The Caliph, Cupid and the Clock Flashcards
by O. Henry — tap or click to flip
Flashcard Review
Flashcards: The Caliph, Cupid and the Clock
Where does the story take place?
In a small park in Manhattan on a September evening, with benches facing a row of dwellings and an illuminated clock tower.
What is Prince Michael doing when the story opens?
He is sitting on his favorite park bench in ragged clothes, smiling as he observes the people around him.
What signal has the young man been told to watch for?
His fiancee Marian told him to watch the middle upper window of the top floor at exactly half-past eight for a white silk scarf, which would mean she forgives him.
Why has the young man given up hope when Prince Michael approaches him?
The clock shows twenty-three minutes past the deadline of half-past eight, and no scarf has appeared, so he believes Marian has refused to forgive him.
What does Prince Michael promise the young man?
He promises $100,000 and a palace on the Hudson on the day of the young man's marriage, on the condition that the palace contain no clocks.
What does the passing citizen reveal about the clock?
He tells the young man that the tower clock is half an hour fast, meaning the actual time is only 8:29 and the deadline has not yet passed.
What do the two policemen find in the park the next morning?
They find Prince Michael's body on the bench, clutching a crumpled fifty-dollar bill, and they identify him as "Dopy Mike," a park vagrant and opium addict.
How does Prince Michael describe himself to the young man?
He introduces himself as the heir to the throne of the Electorate of Valleluna, traveling incognito, with wealth enough to buy every mansion facing the park.
What is Prince Michael's actual identity?
He is "Dopy Mike," a homeless opium addict who has been a park vagrant for twenty years. His royal identity exists only in his drug-fueled imagination.
What is Marian's personality as described by the young man?
She is decisive and punctual. She insists on either full forgiveness or permanent separation with no half measures, and she is always on time to the minute.
What wrong has the young man committed against Marian?
The story never specifies. He only says he had "been a naughty boy" and she had heard about it, leaving the nature of his offense to the reader's imagination.
How does the young man treat Prince Michael despite his ragged appearance?
He is good-humored and kind, adjusting the sleeping Prince's hat and clothes and calling him "Poor devil" with genuine sympathy.
How does the story explore the theme of appearance versus reality?
Prince Michael appears to be a wise, wealthy benefactor but is actually a delusional vagrant. The clock appears to show the truth but is actually wrong.
What does the story suggest about the power of time over human lives?
It shows that people surrender their happiness to arbitrary time constraints, as the young man nearly abandons his relationship because of a malfunctioning clock.
How does the story treat the theme of compassion across social boundaries?
Both Prince Michael and the young man show kindness to each other despite the vast gap in their apparent social stations, suggesting human empathy transcends class.
What role does fate or luck play in the story's resolution?
The happy ending depends entirely on chance: the clock being fast, the citizen passing by at the right moment, and Prince Michael delaying the young man long enough.
What is the effect of the double twist ending?
The first twist (the clock is fast, so the scarf appears) resolves the love plot happily. The second twist (Prince Michael is "Dopy Mike") reframes everything the reader believed about the Prince.
How does O. Henry use dramatic irony in the story?
The reader and the young man take Prince Michael's claims at face value, but the ending reveals the policemen's reality, making every grand promise and philosophical speech ironic in retrospect.
What does the final line about "the club of realism" signify?
It is a metafictional moment where O. Henry acknowledges that the romantic fantasy of Prince Michael is being shattered by the harsh reality of a policeman's nightstick waking a homeless man.
How does O. Henry use the clock as both a plot device and a symbol?
As a plot device, the malfunctioning clock creates the crisis and resolution. As a symbol, it represents humanity's enslavement to arbitrary time, a theme Prince Michael repeatedly articulates.
What does "horologue" mean as used in the story?
A horologue is a timepiece or clock. The young man gazes at "the glowing horologue of time" when checking the tower clock.
What does "mendicant" mean in the context of the story?
A mendicant is a beggar or someone who lives by asking for alms. Prince Michael is described as "clad as the poorest of mendicants in the parks."
What does the phrase "got the mitten" mean?
It is a 19th-century idiom meaning to be rejected or turned down, especially romantically. The young man says he's "got the mitten instead of the scarf."
Who says "Clocks are shackles on the feet of mankind" and what does it reveal?
Prince Michael says this to the young man. It reveals his central philosophy that people foolishly surrender their freedom and happiness to the tyranny of measured time.
What is the significance of the young man calling Prince Michael "my Prince of Rags and Whiskers"?
It shows the young man is humoring Prince Michael while acknowledging his absurd appearance. The affectionate mockery also foreshadows the ending's revelation that the "Prince" is indeed just rags and whiskers.