Expressive means and sylistic devices

        In order to portray the general atmosphere of the story vividly and convincingly the author of the analysed story uses such stylistic devices as: 
         The metaphor: “But whenever my patient begins to count the carriages in her funeral procession I subtract 50 per cent from the curative power of medicines.”;

     “The lonesomest thing in all the world is a soul when it is making ready to go on its mysterious, far journey.” is used to emphasize the main image of the short story under analysis. It helps to create obvious image of Johnsy’s feeling of despair.

       The narrator’s ironic treatment is seen from the use of such words: “ Young artists must pave their way to Art by drawing pictures for magazine stories that young authors write to pave their way to Literature.”.

   The simile: “…and go sailing down, down, just like one of those poor, tired leaves”;“… white and still as fallen statue”;“ …and who regarded himself as especial mastiff-in-waiting to protect the two young artists in the studio above” suggests the narrator’s desire to show and highlight the appearance, actions and to show fully the whole situation taking place in the story with the help of comparison.

       The choice of such epithets as:“cold stranger, icy fingers, chivalric old gentleman, red-fisted, greedy-self, a jew’s harp twang, a mite of a little woman” is used to make the text more emotional and reinforce the impression about  a person who is described with the help of epithets.

      The hyperbole: “the streets have run crazy and broken themselves into small strips called 'places.' These 'places' make strange angles and curves. One Street crosses itself a time or two. An artist once discovered a valuable possibility in this street.”;“Suppose a collector with a bill for paints, paper and canvas should, in traversing this route, suddenly meet himself coming back, without a cent having been paid on account!”; “… and had a Michael Angelo's Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along with the body of an imp”;“…and who regarded himself as especial mastiff-in-waiting to protect the two young artists in the studio above” is used to intensify the description of a place and appearance and to create a humorous effect.

    In a way to make the sentence more rhythmical, the author uses polysyndeton: “"Twelve," she said, and little later "eleven"; and then "ten," and "nine"; and then "eight" and "seven", almost together.”

    Such repetitions as: “She was looking out the window and counting - counting backward”; “An old, old ivy”; “… and go sailing down, down, just like one of those poor, tired leaves” show the strong emotions of the speaker.

        Also we can distinguished epiphora: “Who said I will not bose? For half an hour I haf peen trying to say dot I am ready to bose” and  anaphora: “ I'm tired of waiting. I'm tired of thinking.”.

       Cases of oxymoron is also used to show some irony: “ Johnsy, the merciless”; “…with blood thinned by California zephyrs”;“…a pair of elegant horseshow riding trousers and a monocle of the figure of the hero, an Idaho cowboy”; “…with magnificent scorn”.

         O. Henry uses a  lot of cases of personification such as: “… the rain still beat against the windows and pattered down from the low Dutch eaves”;  “The cold breath of autumn had stricken its leaves from the vine until its skeleton branches clung, almost bare, to the crumbling bricks”; “In November a cold, unseen stranger, whom the doctors called Pneumonia, stalked about the colony, touching one here and there with his icy fingers;  this ravager strode boldly, smiting his victims by scores, but his feet trod slowly through the maze of the narrow and moss-grown 'places; Mr. Pneumonia was not what you would call a chivalric old gentleman; the red-fisted, short-breathed old duffer”. He shows a disease as a life creature that plays with human’s health and can ruin their lives.

      To create humorous effect the author applies zeugma: “So, to quaint old Greenwich Village the art people soon came prowling, hunting for north windows and eighteenth-century gables and Dutch attics and low rents”, “ They had met at the table d'hte of an Eighth Street "Delmonico's," and found their tastes in art, chicory salad and bishop sleeves so congenial that the joint studio resulted.”.

         Also in order to convey the mood, the state of the main characters, the whole condition of the story and paying attention to the details O. Henry makes use of  such stylistic devices as:  rhetorical question: “Vy do you allow dot silly pusiness to come in der brain of her?”; “What have old ivy leaves to do with your getting well?”. Antonomasia:  “Mr. Pneumonia”. Climax: “But I think you are a horrid old - old flibbertigibbet”. Metonymy: “Three days ago there were almost a hundred. It made my head ache to count them. But now it's easy. There goes another one. There are only five left now”; “…people have of lining-up on the side of the undertaker”. “Then they imported some pewter mugs and a chafing dish or two from Sixth Avenue, and became a 'colony.'”. Ellipsis: “Leaves. On the ivy vine. When the last one falls I must go, too”; “Paint? - bosh!”. Emphatic structure:  “there yet stood out against the brick wall one ivy leaf.”. Inversion: “Still dark green near its stem, with its serrated edges tinted with the yellow of dissolution and decay, it hung bravely from the branch some twenty feet above the ground.”. Detachment:“Leaves. On the ivy vine.”.

         A closer look at the stylistic devices of the text allows to a better understanding of the creative style of the author, penetrates the main idea of the story and causes a sympathy for its characters.