# Roses, Ruses and Romance explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by O. Henry.

## What happens

Ravenel, a poet, laments the death of romance in modern literature to his friend Sammy Brown, a broker's clerk. Sammy dismisses Ravenel's complaints and leaves for a date, revealed to be with a girl from the old mansion next door, signaled by roses in her window. Later, Ravenel sees a beautiful young woman in the same window and interprets her display of four roses and a nutmeg geranium as a romantic response to his poem, only to discover that the signals are actually Sammy's system for meeting his fiancée.

## Themes in this chapter

### Deception and Appearance vs. Reality

Ravenel misinterprets the roses and geranium as a romantic message for himself, when they are actually signals for Sammy's rendezvous.

### Love and Romance

The story centers on romantic longing and the use of floral symbols to convey love, though the romance is comically misplaced.

### Humor and Irony

The irony of Ravenel, who decries the death of romance, being fooled by a practical romantic ruse, creates a humorous twist.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown Narrator

Narrates the story, describing Ravenel and Sammy's interaction and the romantic misunderstanding.

### Sammy Brown

A broker's clerk and friend of Ravenel; uses roses to signal his fiancée in the old mansion.

### Ravenel

A poet who mourns the loss of romance and mistakenly believes the rose signals are for him.

## Key lines

> Romance is dead, said Ravenel, lightly. When Ravenel spoke lightly he was generally serious.

Ravenel casually declares that romance has died, but his light tone actually masks his serious belief.

_Highlights Ravenel's cynical view of modern literature and romance._

> The whole thing, Sammy, is an obituary on Romance.

Ravenel claims the magazine's contents are a funeral notice for romance.

_Emphasizes Ravenel's critique of contemporary culture._

> Four of 'em today. Means four o'clock at the corner of Broadway and Twenty-third.

Sammy explains that four roses signal a meeting time of four o'clock.

_Reveals the practical use of romantic symbols for scheduling._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters/roses-ruses-and-romance
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters