Roads of destiny (1909). By: O. Henry (Short story collections): William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862 - June 5, 1910), known by his pen name O. H

By O. Henry and Henry O

Book Overview

Roads of Destiny (1909), short stories: "Roads of Destiny", "The Guardian of the Accolade", "The Discounters of Money", "The Enchanted Profile", "Next to Reading Matter", "Art and the Bronco", "Phoebe", "A Double-dyed Deceiver", "The Passing of Black Eagle", "A Retrieved Reformation", "Cherchez la Femme", "Friends in San Rosario", "The Fourth in Salvador", "The Emancipation of Billy", "The Enchanted Kiss", "A Departmental Case", "The Renaissance at Charleroi", "On Behalf of the Management", "Whistling Dick's Christmas Stocking", "The Halberdier of the Little Rheinschloss", "Two Renegades", "The Lonesome Road"......... William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862 - June 5, 1910), known by his pen name O. Henry, was an American short story writer. His stories are known for their surprise endings. Early life: William Sidney Porter was born on September 11, 1862, in Greensboro, North Carolina. He changed the spelling of his middle name to Sydney in 1898. His parents were Dr. Algernon Sidney Porter (1825-88), a physician, and Mary Jane Virginia Swaim Porter (1833-65). William's parents had married on April 20, 1858. When William was three, his mother died from tuberculosis, and he and his father moved into the home of his paternal grandmother. As a child, Porter was always reading, everything from classics to dime novels; his favorite works were Lane's translation of One Thousand and One Nights and Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy. Porter graduated from his aunt Evelina Maria Porter's elementary school in 1876. He then enrolled at the Lindsey Street High School. His aunt continued to tutor him until he was fifteen. In 1879, he started working in his uncle's drugstore and in 1881, at the age of nineteen, he was licensed as a pharmacist. At the drugstore, he also showed off his natural artistic talents by sketching the townsfolk. Move to Texas: Porter traveled with Dr. James K. Hall to Texas in March 1882, hoping that a change of air would help alleviate a persistent cough he had developed. He took up residence on the sheep ranch of Richard Hall, James' son, in La Salle County and helped out as a shepherd, ranch hand, cook, and baby-sitter. While on the ranch, he learned bits of Spanish and German from the mix of immigrant ranch hands. He also spent time reading classic literature. Porter's health did improve and he traveled with Richard to Austin in 1884, where he decided to remain and was welcomed into the home of the Harrells, who were friends of Richard's. Porter took a number of different jobs over the next several years, first as pharmacist then as a draftsman, bank teller, and journalist. He also began writing as a sideline. Porter led an active social life in Austin, including membership in singing and drama groups. He was a good singer and musician. He played both the guitar and mandolin. He became a member of the "Hill City Quartet", a group of young men who sang at gatherings and serenaded young women of the town. Porter met and began courting Athol Estes, then seventeen years old and from a wealthy family. Her mother objected to the match because Athol was ill, suffering from tuberculosis. On July 1, 1887, Porter eloped with Athol to the home of Reverend R. K. Smoot, where they were married.The couple continued to participate in musical and theater groups, and Athol encouraged her husband to pursue his writing. Athol gave birth to a son in 1888, who died hours after birth, and then a daughter, Margaret Worth Porter, in September 1889. Porter's friend Richard Hall became Texas Land Commissioner and offered Porter a job. Porter started as a draftsman at the Texas General Land Office (GLO) in 1887 at a salary of $100 a month, drawing maps from surveys and fieldnotes. ....

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 154690204X
• ISBN13: 9781546902041
• Release Date: May 2017
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 156 Pages
• Weight: 0.71 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.0" x 10.0"

Customer Reviews

The One Review, To rule the ALL!

If you've ever regretted making a choice thinking that you're life would have been different, then this is the story for you! O Henry's unique style of writing will introduce you to story filled of mystery, suspense and of course a decision. A decision which will lead a certain main character to three roads of which he must choose from. Three Roads. Three ways. Three outcomes. Now what's alluring about this story is that all three outcomes are shared. And curiously enough they end up having crazy, yet shocking endings. This book will definitely make you think twice about all the decisions you've made in the past. We may think the decisions me make will make a huge difference in our future, yet this story adds a certain twist to the phrase "life changing decisions". What if those "life changing decisions" we make are worth nothing, because ultimately we all have the same outcome? Would that change the way you make your decisions from now on? These are some questions that left me speechless with doubt. I loved the way this book made me think. It was wonderful! O Henry's morbid style of writing and wry outcomes will insure you and definite good read!

Roads of Life

This story makes the reader think: Would a person truly change if they chose to go a different route in their life? There are three roads: left, right, center. Each road is leading a different way. O Henry believes that even we may take different paths in our life time, the outcome never really changes. I enjoyed the thinking process, but I did not really enjoy the story itself. I felt that it was a little on the depressing side. The outcomes of the different roads in "Roads to Destiny" are a little disappointing. In every outcome, he is a sad and unhappy poet. The writing was distinctly O Henry's work. I believe it will enrich a person's soul. It makes a person look at their life and see what is important to them. This story is worth reading.

Roads of Destiny

This is a fascinating short story. The roads signify the different direction we can take in life. When reaching a crossroad, we follow the main character (David Mignot) to the left, the right, and the center. We follow him through trials, and despairs. The carefully written descriptive writing brings out the crossroads each person has faced sometime in their life. I wondered if O. Henry himself was facing a crossroads because he seemed to be very invested and exact in the detail given to each path. He consistently kept the story interesting and leaving your curiosity wanting to know more. Though it isn't edge-of-your-seat exciting, it makes the reader think about their own life choices.

a super cool review for this super cool book

This story makes you think if the dreams you really want are really worth everything you have to lose. After reading this story the book became a book that I could recommend to anybody. The story is interesting because it takes three different stories and puts them into one. The choices the main character makes are poor choices. Because of these poor choices the story becomes predictable, but not to the point of where you want to stop reading it. However I didn't stop reading it and it is a fantastic book.

Roads of Destiny

Imagine if everyday you had one destiny and that no matter where you went or what you did you would end up in the same place. Which path would you travel? O Henry gracefully teaches that choices cannot change destiny. This suggests that everyone has an ultimate destiny that would come true, against all odds. I do not believe that this is possible, or realistic. Perhaps there is more that a person can do to change what can happen in the future? Is there a higher power involved somehow? Is it possible that there truly is a plan for our lives? The plot is rich capturing the reader's attention, because you never know what will happen to David as he travels down the next road. A definite must read for anyone.