# A Strange Story explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by O. Henry.

## What happens

In Austin, John Smothers disappears one night while fetching medicine for his daughter's colic. His daughter later marries John Smith and has a daughter named Pansy. Years later, on the anniversary of the disappearance, Pansy falls ill with the same ailment. John Smith offers to get medicine, but his wife forbids him. Suddenly, an aged John Smothers returns with medicine, explaining he was delayed by a streetcar.

## Themes in this chapter

### Humor and Irony

The absurdity of John Smothers disappearing for years and returning as if only delayed by a streetcar, along with the family's matter-of-fact acceptance.

### Nostalgia and the Passage of Time

The story spans years, with the little girl growing up and having her own child, yet the same house and illness recur.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown Narrator

The narrator recounts the strange story of the Smothers family.

### Johnny Atwood

John Smothers, the father who disappears and later returns.

### Annie Williams

The little girl who had colic and later grows up to marry John Smith.

### Jim

John Smith, the husband of the grown daughter.

## Key lines

> I will go downtown and get some medicine for her

John Smith offers to fetch medicine for his daughter.

_Echoes the father's earlier action, setting up the story's ironic twist._

> I was a little late, as I waited for a street car.

John Smothers explains his decades-long absence as a minor delay.

_Underlines the story's dark humor and absurdity._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters/a-strange-story
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters