A good plot twist is just what a reader needs to be satisfied with their conclusion. Luckily, O. Henry is just the author to go to when you are looking for a plot twist. His stories include plot twists for their conclusion and just the right amount of irony to make you laugh even though someone’s best friend just got arrested. O. Henry is a writer who gives you a “laugh but greive” mentality, and although his stories can make you feel sad, you may have to look back and laugh at the conclusion.

Because of his humor, O. Henry’s books tend to have a plot twist that is unexpected by the characters and the readers. In the book, “The Ransom of the Red Chief”, the kidnappers plan to steal a child and do not know that the child is a menace (Henry 3). This provides a comedic and ironic twist due to the characters not knowing that the child would actually be the one terrorizing the kidnappers. This drives the kidnappers to return the child and run with their tail between their legs (Henry 16). This is an example of how he uses his plot twists for comedic purposes in his stories.  

Author, O. Henry also has a real tone to his short stories. These tones are not necessarily sad or bad, but they are not happy either. One example would happen to be in the short story “After Twenty Years”, where two friends meet up only for one to be betrayed by the other because of his line of work (Henry 4). This style of writing goes to prove that even in stories for children, that real life dark tones can be applied to teach a lesson. O. Henry teaches his readers that you will get what you deserve for doing the wrong or right thing. You will be rewarded for changing for the better or you will be punished for changing for the worst. This is what makes O. Henry’s stories real.

With the combined tones of humorous and realist, O. Henry will try to make laugh while teaching you a valuable lesson. The one key point to his stories would be irony. Irony can be funny yet eye opening at the same time. In his stories, “After Twenty Years” and “ Ransom of the Red Chief”, the criminals in the stories get what deserve whether is be intentional or not. The criminals in “The Ransom of the Red Chief” are driven away by their child hostage who terrorizes them (Henry 12). The fear of the criminals and repent are the lessons in the story. You should look back on the lessons of the story while it is okay to laugh at the criminals reaction to being terrorized by a child.  This shows how plans to do evil actions can backfire without someone intentionally preventing it.
A plot twist can keep a reader interested in your story. O. Henry demonstrates this by adding in irony and comedy into his stories for a good combination of a plot twist, because this is what makes readers come back for more. O. Henry’s writing brings comedy to stories that would otherwise be action or tragic stories, making them lesson filled and acceptable for kids.The stories written by O.Henry are made to be classics and that’s what makes his writing so appealing.