# A Ruler of Men explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by O. Henry.

## What happens

The narrator encounters Kansas Bill Bowers, an old friend selling gadgets on a New York street. They reminisce, and Bill recounts his time in a tropical country with Barney O'Connor, an Irishman who becomes embroiled in a fake revolution orchestrated as a joke by locals. O'Connor believes he is fighting for a noble cause and a señorita, but the revolution is a hoax. After O'Connor's imprisonment, the narrator helps him escape, and O'Connor returns to New York still believing in the romance of his adventure.

## Themes in this chapter

### Deception and Appearance vs. Reality

The entire revolution is a hoax orchestrated by locals, and O'Connor is deceived into believing he is a hero fighting for a noble cause.

### Humor and Irony

The story is filled with ironic humor, from the fake revolution to O'Connor's continued belief in the señorita's love after the hoax is revealed.

### Ambition and Failure

O'Connor's grand ambitions to rule and lead a revolution ultimately fail as the entire plot is a joke, yet he remains undeterred.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown Narrator

The narrator meets Kansas Bill Bowers on the street and later hears his story about Barney O'Connor.

### Barney O'Connor

An Irishman who believes he is leading a revolution in a tropical country, only to discover it is a hoax.

### Kansas Bill Bowers

An old friend of the narrator who tells the story of his time with Barney O'Connor in a tropical country.

## Key lines

> I walked the streets of the City of Insolence, thirsting for the sight of a stranger face.

The narrator wandered New York City, longing to see someone unfamiliar.

_Sets the tone of urban anonymity and the narrator's desire for novelty._

> The whole world over,' says he, 'the O'Connors have ruled men, women, and nations. To subdue a small and indifferent country like this is a trifle.

O'Connor boasts that his family has always been rulers, so conquering a small country is easy.

_Highlights O'Connor's inflated sense of destiny and the theme of ambition._

> The judge lays back in his chair and howls. 'Why,' says he presently, 'that was all a little joke fixed up by the boys around the courtroom...'

The judge reveals that the entire revolution was a prank organized by local men.

_Key moment of revelation showing the deception at the heart of the story._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters/a-ruler-of-men
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters