# The Skylight Room explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by O. Henry.

## What happens

Miss Leeson, a poor working girl, rents a tiny, coffin-like skylight room in Mrs. Parker's boarding house for two dollars a week. Despite her poverty, she maintains a cheerful spirit and whimsically names a star she sees through her skylight 'Billy Jackson.' After losing her typing work, she grows weak from hunger. When Mr. Hoover proposes marriage, she rejects him and retreats to her room. There, she bids farewell to Billy Jackson before collapsing. The next day, she is found unconscious and taken to the hospital by an ambulance doctor.

## Themes in this chapter

### Social Class and Wealth

Miss Leeson's poverty is contrasted with the wealthier boarders, and her inability to afford better housing is a central conflict.

### Humor and Irony

The narrator's ironic tone describes Mrs. Parker's disdain for poor tenants and the whimsical naming of a star amidst hardship.

### Ambition and Failure

Miss Leeson's failed job search and eventual collapse highlight the struggle for success in the city.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown Narrator

The narrator describes Mrs. Parker's boarding house and Miss Leeson's story.

### Annie Williams

Miss Leeson, the young working girl who rents the skylight room and names a star Billy Jackson.

### The Captain

Mrs. Parker, the landlady who shows rooms and scorns those who cannot afford the parlors.

### Johnny Atwood

Mr. Skidder, a playwright who lives on the third floor and is inspired by Miss Leeson.

### Jim

Mr. Hoover, a fat, foolish suitor who proposes to Miss Leeson and is rejected.

### Samuel Tansey

Clara, the colored maid who shows the skylight room and later finds Miss Leeson locked in.

## Key lines

> Two dollars, suh.

The rent for the skylight room is two dollars.

_Clara states the price of the room to Miss Leeson._

> I'll take it!

Miss Leeson agrees to rent the skylight room.

_Miss Leeson accepts the room despite its small size._

> Goodbye, Billy.

Miss Leeson says farewell to the star she named Billy Jackson.

_As she lies weak in her room, she bids goodbye to the star._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters/the-skylight-room
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters