An Expensive Veracity by O. Henry
The story revolves around a wealthy man who marries a woman for her beauty and social status. However, he soon discovers that she is unfaithful to him. He decides to teach her a lesson by pretending to be dead and leaving her with a large debt. The woman is forced to sell all of her possessions to pay off the debt, but ultimately realizes the value of honesty and integrity when she learns that her husband was alive all along.
By O. Henry · First published 1911 · Genre: Humor, Social Commentary, Fiction · 339 words
First lines
A Houston man who attended a great many of Sam Jones's sermons was particularly impressed with his denunciation of prevaricators, and of lies of all kinds, white, variegated, and black.
So strongly was he affected and in such fertile ground did the seed sown by the great evangelist fall, that the Houston man, who had been accustomed occasionally to evade the truth, determined one morning he would turn over a new leaf and tell the truth in all things, big and little. So he commenced the day by scorning to speak even a word that did not follow the exact truth for a model.
What this Textopian page supports
An Expensive Veracity is listed on Textopian as a short story by O. Henry, dated 1911 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: O. Henry
- Date: 1911 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Humor, Social Commentary, Fiction, Satire, Short Story
- Length: 339 words
- Structure: 1 section, 11 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Very Easy (5th Grade or below)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for An Expensive Veracity by O. Henry
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering An Expensive Veracity?
- How does this short story by O. Henry fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Humor first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
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Genres
- Humor — The narrative employs wit and irony to explore the consequences of absolute honesty, creating comedic situations.
- Social Commentary — The story critiques societal norms regarding truthfulness and the impact of honesty on personal relationships.
- Fiction — The work is a fictional narrative that illustrates a character's transformation and the resulting conflicts.
- Satire — It satirizes the extremes of honesty and the absurdity of rigid moral principles.
Tags
Short Story · American Literature · Humor · Satire · Social Commentary · Class Conflict · Deception · Lies · Consequences of Deceit · Moral Lesson · Irony · Twist Ending