# Somebody Lied explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by O. Henry.

## What happens

Two farm hands, an old man and his son, enter a saloon to experience getting drunk for the first time after selling their produce for more than expected. They drink several whiskies but feel terrible, regret their decision, and resolve never to drink again.

## Themes in this chapter

### Humor and Irony

The ironic contrast between the men's expectation of drunken fun and their actual miserable experience drives the humor of the sketch.

### Deception and Appearance vs. Reality

The men were deceived by the common notion that getting drunk is enjoyable, only to discover the harsh reality.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown Narrator

The narrator recounts the anecdote of the two men in the saloon.

## Key lines

> When folks makes a big strike they most al'ays gets drunk, and es me and Lem never was drunk, we says, we'll git drunk and see how it feels.

When people come into unexpected money, they usually celebrate by getting drunk, and since we've never been drunk, we decided to try it.

_The old man explains their reasoning for drinking._

> somebody has lied to us about the fun in gettin' drunk.

We were misled about how enjoyable getting drunk would be.

_The old man concludes that the supposed pleasure of drunkenness is a lie._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters/somebody-lied
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters