# His Pension explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by O. Henry.

## What happens

A member of Hood's brigade tells a joke to a Post's representative about a man in Indiana who applied for a pension after having his 'retreat cut off' at the Battle of Gettysburg, playing on the double meaning of the phrase.

## Themes in this chapter

### Humor and Irony

The chapter uses a pun on 'retreat cut off' to create a darkly humorous anecdote about Civil War pensions.

## Key lines

> He had his retreat cut off at the battle of Gettysburg!

He had his escape route severed during the Battle of Gettysburg, but also a humorous double meaning about a surgical removal.

_The punchline of the joke relies on the double meaning of 'retreat' as both a military withdrawal and a body part._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters/his-pension
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters