What You Want Flashcards
by O. Henry — tap or click to flip
Flashcard Review
Flashcards: What You Want
What does old Tom Crowley decide to do at the beginning of the story?
He decides to disguise himself as an ordinary person and wander the city looking for someone to help, inspired by the Arabian Nights tales of Harun al-Rashid.
Where does Tom Crowley find James Turner?
He finds James browsing books at a second-hand bookstall on the sidewalk, bending over marked-down literature.
What offer does Tom Crowley make to James Turner?
He offers to pay for James's college education, fund a tour of Europe and its art galleries, and set him up in a good business.
How does James Turner respond to the millionaire's generous offer?
He repeatedly rejects it with suspicion and hostility, assuming Crowley is running a con, and eventually punches him.
What happens after the fight between Tom and James?
A police officer arrests both of them for fighting and disorderly conduct, and they are taken to the station house. Neither can make the three-hundred-dollar bail.
How does James find contentment in his jail cell?
He presses his aching feet against the cold iron bars of the cell door for relief and discovers a Clark Russell novel hidden under his blanket.
What is James Turner's final line in the story, and what does it mean?
When told the millionaire wants to bail him out, James says "Tell him I ain't in," meaning he has everything he wants and has no interest in Crowley's wealth.
How is old Tom Crowley described at the start of the story?
He is a millionaire worth forty-two million dollars who is tired of clubs, theatres, dinners, friends, music, and everything money can buy.
What is James Turner's occupation and daily life like?
He works at a hat-cleaning shop on Sixth Avenue, standing all day at an electric machine that spins hats. He earns twelve dollars per week and has perpetually burning, aching feet.
What does James Turner do each evening for pleasure?
He presses his sore feet against the cold iron bars of his bed frame and reads Clark Russell's sea adventure novels, which is his idea of perfect happiness.
How does Tom Crowley's wealth fail him at the police station?
Despite being worth forty million dollars, he only has four dollars in cash on him and cannot make the three-hundred-dollar bail, so he is locked up like any common person.
What role does the "cop" and sergeant play in the story?
They represent impersonal city authority that treats both the millionaire and the hat cleaner identically, ignoring Crowley's claim of wealth and locking both men up.
What does the story suggest about the relationship between money and happiness?
It argues that money cannot buy happiness. Tom Crowley is bored and restless despite his millions, while James Turner is perfectly content with cold iron bars and a sea novel.
How does the story illustrate the theme of contentment?
James Turner knows exactly what makes him happy -- relief for his feet and a good book -- and refuses a fortune because he already has what he wants.
What does the story say about self-knowledge?
James Turner possesses something the millionaire lacks: he knows what he wants. Crowley wanders searching for purpose, while Turner's simple desires are clear and satisfying.
How does the story critique materialism and philanthropy?
Crowley's philanthropy is really about his own boredom, not genuine concern. He gave two million to missionaries and got nothing but a receipt, so he seeks a more personal charitable thrill.
What is the central irony of "What You Want"?
The wealthy man who can afford anything is miserable and aimless, while the poor hat cleaner who owns almost nothing is perfectly content with his simple pleasures.
What is the significance of the Arabian Nights frame in the story?
O. Henry parallels New York City with Baghdad and Crowley with Caliph Harun al-Rashid to satirize the idea that the rich can benevolently fix the lives of the poor.
What narrative technique does O. Henry use by calling New York "Bagdad-on-the-Subway"?
It is an extended metaphor that recasts modern New York as an enchanted Arabian city, blending the mundane with the exotic to create O. Henry's signature comic tone.
How does the ending of the story deliver a classic O. Henry twist?
The reader expects James to gratefully accept the proven millionaire's help, but instead he refuses it entirely, revealing that the "rescue" was never wanted or needed.
What does "caliphanous" mean in the context of this story?
It is a humorous word O. Henry coined to mean "relating to a caliph," describing Tom Crowley's mood of wanting to play the generous, disguised ruler.
What does "munificence" mean as used in the story?
It means great generosity or lavishness in giving. O. Henry uses it to describe Crowley's intended charitable act toward James Turner.
What does "asseveratingly" mean when describing the sergeant?
It means speaking with solemn, emphatic assertion. The sergeant states the bail amount with firm authority, leaving no room for argument.
Who says "When a man knows what he wants, and can get it, it's the same as forty million dollars to him"?
James Turner thinks this while lying in his jail cell, reflecting on Crowley's offer and affirming that his own simple contentment is worth as much as any fortune.
What is the significance of the line "you must get to despise everything that money can buy, and then go out and try to want something that you can't pay for"?
It defines the paradox of extreme wealth: once you can afford everything, nothing satisfies, and you must search for meaning that money cannot purchase.
What does the narrator mean by "But let us revenue to our lamb chops"?
It is a humorous malapropism of the French phrase "revenons a nos moutons" (let us return to our sheep), meaning let us get back to the main story. The pun on "revenue" ties to the story's money theme.