The Defeat of the City Flashcards
by O. Henry — tap or click to flip
Flashcard Review
Flashcards: The Defeat of the City
What was Robert Walmsley's background before he came to New York City?
Robert grew up on a rural farm in an up-state county, the freckle-faced son of old man Walmsley, who left behind three-per-diem meals for the quick lunch counters of the metropolis.
How did Robert Walmsley achieve success in New York?
Over six years he became a prominent Manhattan lawyer whose name appeared at every major social event, from murder trials to cotillions. Tailors sought him out and elite club members accepted him.
What prompts the couple's visit to the Walmsley farm?
Alicia discovers a letter from Robert's mother full of farm news and motherly love. The letter includes an invitation to visit, and Alicia — having never seen a farm — insists they go.
How does Robert behave on his first evening at the farm?
He reverts to his old country self — pulling off his father's boots, wrestling Tom on the grass, chasing Millie with a katydid, doing handsprings, and dancing buck-and-wing to Uncle Ike's banjo.
What does Robert expect Alicia's reaction to be after his wild behavior?
He expects condemnation, believing the refined Van Der Pool woman will be horrified by his vulgar, undignified display and regret marrying him.
What are Alicia's actual words to Robert at the end of the story?
She says, "I thought I married a gentleman, but I find that I have married something better — a man. Bob, dear, kiss me, won't you?"
What is the final line of the story and why is it significant?
"The city was far away." This refrain appears multiple times throughout the story, but in its final use it confirms that the city's influence has been permanently defeated.
How does O. Henry characterize Robert Walmsley's city persona?
He describes Robert as having "charming insolence, sophisticated crassness, and overbalanced poise" — the polished but hollow qualities that make "the Manhattan gentleman so delightfully small in his greatness."
Who is Tom, and what role does he play in the story?
Tom is Robert's brother who still lives on the farm. His sarcastic teasing about Robert's city ways helps provoke Robert's regression to his old rural self.
How does Alicia react to the farm environment throughout the evening?
She remains immovable and silent — described as "a slim, white spirit in the dusk that no man might question or read." She observes everything but reveals nothing until the final scene.
What does Alicia's request for seven trunks reveal about her character?
It reveals her total unfamiliarity with rural life. She asks if Robert's mother gives "many house parties," showing she can only understand social life through the lens of upper-class city customs.
Who is Uncle Ike and what is his role in the porch scene?
Uncle Ike is a longtime family retainer who plays the banjo. Robert drags him out to the porch, strews sand for dancing, and performs "Chicken in the Bread Tray" — a peak moment of his rural reawakening.
How does the story contrast the values of city life with country life?
City life is portrayed as superficial polish — "remodelled, cut, trimmed and stamped" conformity — while country life represents authenticity, warmth, and genuine human connection.
What does the story suggest about social class and personal worth?
It suggests that aristocratic refinement is less valuable than genuine humanity. Alicia, the pinnacle of old-money society, ultimately prizes an authentic "man" over a polished "gentleman."
What role does nature play as a thematic force in the story?
Nature acts as a catalyst for Robert's transformation. The voices of the soil — birdsong, creek ripples, cow-bells, whippoorwills — speak to his soul and strip away his city veneer.
How does the story explore the concept of identity?
Robert has two identities: the polished city lawyer and the boisterous farm boy. The story argues his rural self is his true identity, and the city persona was merely "an ill-fitting mantle" that fell away.
What is the effect of the recurring phrase "The city was far away"?
It functions as a refrain that marks each stage of Robert's transformation, building from a physical observation to a psychological truth, and finally sealing the story's resolution.
How does O. Henry use personification in the homeward drive scene?
He personifies the natural world extensively: voices of the soil "began a chant," the road curls "like a ribbon," the wind follows "like a whinnying colt," and familiar stones and gates have "eloquence" and "power."
What is the function of O. Henry's legal language throughout the story?
O. Henry uses legal jargon humorously — Robert "filed a demurrer" against six trunks, concurred like a Supreme Justice. This satirizes how completely Robert has absorbed his professional identity.
How does the story's point of view create irony in the final scene?
The third-person narrator shows Robert's dread and self-condemnation while Alicia remains unreadable. The reader shares Robert's assumption that judgment is coming, making the twist more powerful.
What does "stentorian" mean as used to describe Tom at the station?
Stentorian means extremely loud and powerful, from the Greek herald Stentor in the Iliad. It emphasizes Tom's boisterous, unrefined country manner in contrast to Robert's polished city demeanor.
What does the word "burghers" mean in the phrase "daughter of the old burghers"?
Burghers are wealthy, established citizens of a town. Here it refers to the old Dutch merchant families of New York, emphasizing Alicia's deep-rooted aristocratic lineage.
What does "vainglorious" mean in the context of Robert's boasting on the porch?
Vainglorious means excessively proud or boastful, especially about one's own achievements. Robert declares he can "do up a cowpenful" of hayseeds, reveling in his physical superiority.
What does the narrator mean by saying the city made Robert "so delightfully small in his greatness"?
It is a paradox: Robert's social success actually diminished him as a person. The city's polish made him impressive on the surface but reduced his authentic humanity.
What is meant by "all the polish, the poise, the form that the city had given him had fallen from him like an ill-fitting mantle"?
This simile reveals that Robert's city sophistication was never truly part of him — it was an external garment that didn't fit, easily shed when he returned to the environment that shaped his core self.
What does Alicia mean by distinguishing a "gentleman" from a "man"?
A "gentleman" is a social performance — manners, dress, poise. A "man" is someone genuine and vital. Alicia values Robert's authentic, spirited self over his carefully constructed city persona.