The Skylight Room is a short story written by O’ Henry. I enjoy reading O’ Henry’s stories, and I have read quite a few over the years. This story follows Miss Elsie Leeson, who rents the skylight room at a boarding house. She has a typing job, but she does not earn much, and this small attic room is the only place she can afford.
The narrative style of the story shifts from second-person to third person, helping us establish the setting before the main character is introduced. The story begins at Mrs. Parker’s boarding house. Miss Elsie Leeson does not have much, but she is a cheerful, and free-spirited girl. Elsie can only afford the small attic room in New York with a skylight, but her hardships don’t affect her whimsical spirit. Every night, she looks at the stars through the skylight, even naming one specific star. Elsie loses her job and struggles to find a new one. Another boarder proposes to her, but even in her weak and desperate situation, she remains true to herself. The next morning, she is found unconscious and rushed to the hospital due to starvation.
The main theme, for me, was the contrast between Elsie’s imagination and her reality. This highlights the human capacity to find hope. She names a star Billy Jackson, and while others tease her about it, this imagination helps her survive her reality. The star Elsie names represent a lot of things for her, guardian and friend. When she collapses on her bed from exhaustion and starvation, she says goodbye to Billy Jackson. In the end, the doctor who saved her life at the hospital is named William Jackson. Meanwhile, Mrs. Parker, the landlady, portrays the classist attitude as she judges Elsie on what she can afford.
The Skylight Room by O’ Henry is an interesting and engaging story. Some language choices in the story were tethering the offensive line, but for classic literature, it is something that, as a reader, you have to ignore. Overall, it is a story of struggle with the author’s signature twist ending. I liked reading it.
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