# A Christmas Pi explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by O. Henry.

## What happens

The narrator, a writer who has never written a Christmas story, recounts his annual cycle of promising to write one and failing. On Christmas Eve, he encounters a man about to throw a brick into a pawnbroker's window, whom he initially tries to stop. The man reveals he is actually a magazine writer seeking a real story by getting arrested, and the narrator jokingly identifies himself as a plumber named John Horner.

## Themes in this chapter

### Humor and Irony

The narrator's ironic self-deprecation about never writing a Christmas story and the twist that the brick-throwing man is also a writer seeking a story highlight the chapter's humorous tone.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown Narrator

The narrator, a writer who has never written a Christmas story, encounters a man on Christmas Eve and tries to prevent him from throwing a brick.

## Key lines

> I am not without claim to distinction. Although I still stick to suspenders—which, happily, reciprocate—I am negatively egregious.

I have some unique qualities, like still wearing suspenders (which thankfully hold up my pants), but I am notable for what I haven't done.

_The narrator humorously lists things he has never done, establishing his character._

> I would get copy from a cop, material from a mater, plot from a messenger boy.

I planned to find story ideas from a police officer, material from a mother, and a plot from a messenger boy.

_The narrator's playful wordplay shows his desperation for a Christmas story idea._

> My name is John Horner, and I'm a plumber.

I am a plumber named John Horner.

_The narrator's false identity is a humorous reference to the nursery rhyme 'Little Jack Horner,' ending the chapter on a whimsical note._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters/a-christmas-pi
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters