Hostages to Momus by O. Henry (1911)

Name: Hostages to Momus
Author: O. Henry

The story revolves around a young woman who marries an older man for financial security. She becomes pregnant and her husband's family pressures him to marry her. However, the woman has no intention of being tied down and plans to leave after the wedding. Her plan involves using her pregnancy as leverage to secure a large sum of money from her husband before she departs.

By O. Henry · First published 1911 · Genre: Comedy, Adventure, Social Commentary · 4 chapters · 5,984 words

First lines

I never got inside of the legitimate line of graft but once. But, one time, as I say, I reversed the decision of the revised statutes and undertook a thing that I'd have to apologize for even under the New Jersey trust laws.

Me and Caligula Polk, of Muskogee in the Creek Nation, was down in the Mexican State of Tamaulipas running a peripatetic lottery and monte game. Now, selling lottery tickets is a government graft in Mexico, just like selling forty-eight cents' worth of postage-stamps for forty-nine cents is over here. So Uncle Porfirio he instructs the rurales to attend to our case.

What this Textopian page supports

Hostages to Momus 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: Comedy, Adventure, Social Commentary, Fiction, Satire
Length: 5,984 words
Structure: 4 chapters, 105 paragraphs
Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)

Good citation fit

Work identity for Hostages to Momus by O. Henry
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Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters

What should a reader notice first when entering Hostages to Momus?
How does this short story by O. Henry fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
Where does Comedy first become important in the reading?

Similar titles

Genres

Comedy — The narrative employs humor and satire, particularly through the absurdity of the kidnapping scheme and the characters' interactions.
Adventure — The plot revolves around a kidnapping adventure, including the planning and execution of the scheme in a rural setting.
Social Commentary — The story critiques social norms and economic conditions, particularly through the characters' discussions about food and wealth.
Fiction — The work is a fictional narrative that explores the lives and thoughts of its characters in a constructed reality.