The Furnished Room

Situational irony (when events in the story are the opposite of what is expected) and dramatic irony (when events in the story are revealed to the reader but not the characters) are key devices in “The Furnished Room” that influence the impact of the narrative on the reader. The situational irony derives from the parallel fates of Eloise and the young man who is searching for her. The protagonist unwittingly rents the same room where Eloise stayed only a week earlier. Furthermore, without ever learning the truth about Eloise, he is overwhelmed by the same despair she experienced and ends his life in exactly the same way.

O. Henry employs dramatic irony at the story’s conclusion when Mrs. Purdy and Mrs. McCool discuss Eloise’s death, and the new inhabitant of her room. While readers are aware that the young man has also killed himself, the women remain oblivious to this fact. The identical fates of the protagonist and Eloise underscore the isolation and anonymity of urban life.