Transients in Arcadia

By O. Henry
Study Guide

1) Look up the meanings of the words “transients” and “Arcadia”.

Explain what the words mean and how they create an appropriate title
for the short story.

The word “transient” means “not lasting, enduring” and “staying

only a short time”. Arcadia can be defined as “any place offering peace
and simplicity”. It can be traced back to Arcady, which was a region of
Ancient Greece that was “isolated from the rest of the known civilized
world”.
They create an appropriate title because both Madame
Beaumont and Mr. Farrington were temporary guests of the Hotel
Lotus. There time there, and together, is fleeting. A transient can also
be a word describing a homeless person who travels from town to town
which is both ironic and fitting because both characters initially
appeared to be wealthy (ironic) but then we discover they’re poor
(fitting). Hotel Lotus is the perfect example of an isolated place offering
peace and simplicity. This title communicates, in a very extravagant
fashion, the type of setting and characters the story includes.

2) What was your reaction to the opening paragraphs of the story and
emphasis on description of the setting? What do you think O. Henry
was trying to accomplish?

The opening paragraphs feel snooty and exclusive. The excess of

description of the setting makes the setting seem more important than
the characters. I think though, that the setting of this short story
defines the characters. The fact that they would choose the Hotel Lotus
as their oasis says a lot. The constant naming of locations in the first
paragraph: “the Adirondacks....Old Point Comfort...the White
Mountains” feels almost like name dropping.
I think O. Henry was trying to show that this place was the best,
and help to give an idea of the kind of people that would visit the hotel.
He also used language that excluded the reader which was ironic
because the main characters didn’t really belong either.

3) How does O. Henry establish Madame Beaumont as a member of

high society and therefore an acceptable guest in the Hotel Lotus? To
what degree does he use the same techniques with Harold Farrington?
Leaving the question of wealth aside, are the two characters portrayed
as suitable guests? Explain.

O. Henry establishes Madame Beaumont as a member of high society

through many things. Her name is the overly elegant “Madame
Hélouise D’Arcy Beaumont”. She “possessed the fine air of the élite”.
She also wears her beautiful gown to dinner each night which when
you saw it, you “thought of Paris...and maybe of mysterious
countesses, and certainly of Versailles.”
What really makes her seem like an acceptable guest is how
much the staff approves of her; “Bellboys fought for the honor of
answering her ring; the clerks, but for the question of ownership, would
have deeded to her the hotel and its contents...”
The author doesn’t describe Harold Farrington as much, but he
fits into the lifestyle so well that “not a ripple alarmed his fellow-
seekers after rest.”
Both characters are portrayed as suitable guests. They blend in
with the rich people and fool even each other.

4) Were you surprised by the confessions from Madame Beaumont and

Mr. Farrington? Why or why not?

No, I wasn’t surprised by the confessions from the characters.

The story was flowing along so smoothly and effortlessly that there
was a sense that ‘something has to give’. No one wants to read about
rich people and their perfect, pompous lives. The characters are
unlikable and not relatable until they reveal their true identities. It
wouldn’t be a good story if the characters hadn’t become real.

Also there was a clue earlier in the story when the narrator mentioned
that Madame Beaumont wore the same dress to dinner each night.

5) Reread the story and make a list of ten words with which you are
unfamiliar, or which you are unused to seeing in print. Provide a
definition and at least one synonym for each word (Please indicate the
source for your definition). Rewrite three sentences from the story by
substituting the synonym for the original word. How does this affect
the tone of the sentences?

*All definitions found at dictionary.com, except nomenclature which

was found in the book

Definition:
Hostelry (p.38): an inn or lodge
Caravansary (p.38): a large inn, usually with a large courtyard
Umbrageous (p.38): creating or providing shade; shady: an
umbrageous tree.
Freemasonry (p.39): spontaneous fellowship and sympathy among a
number of people
Effusiveness (p.39): Unrestrained or excessive in emotional expression;
gushy
Covert (p.39): to be concealed or disguised
Sojourn (p.39): a temporary stay in a certain place
Expedient (p.39): conducive to advantage or interest, as opposed to
right
Countenance (p.41): appearance of the face
Solicitous (p.42): to be worried

Synonyms:
Hostelry (p.38): Hotel, Inn
Caravansary (p.38): Loge, Resort
Umbrageous (p.38): Sheltered, shadowed
Freemasonry (p.39): Union, network, connection
Effusiveness (p.39): Copiousness, exuberance, gaiety
Covert (p.39): Secret, concealed, hidden, private
Sojourn (p.39): Dwell, reside, stopover, vacation
Expedient (p.39): Advisable, appropriate, desirable, advantageous
Countenance (p.41): Demeanor, visage
Solicitous (p.42): Anxious, concerned
“Perhaps there was a mystic freemasonry between the
discriminating guests of the lotus.”
“Perhaps there was a mystic union between the discriminating
guests of the lotus.”

“Harold Farrington listened to the recital of the Lotus’s

loveliest guest with impassive countenance.”
“Harold Farrington listened to the recital of the Lotus’s
loveliest guest with an impassive demeanor.”

“In one day he acquired his table and his waiter and the fear
lest the panting chasers after repose that kept Broadway warm
should pounce upon and destroy this contiguous but covert
haven.”

“In one day he acquired his table and his waiter and the fear
lest the panting chasers after repose that kept Broadway warm
should pounce upon and destroy this contiguous but secret
haven.”

A lot of tone is lost when you change the words to simpler

synonyms. The sentences are easier to understand, but they don’t
have the same vaguely condescending feel as before. They also don’t
feel as extravagant. If the entire short story was changed this way it
wouldn’t be nearly as effective. The vocabulary does a wonderful job of
expressing the tone and mood of the piece.

6) O.Henry’s writing often includes coincidences and irony. How does

he use these devices in this story? Be sure to use specific references to
the text.

The largest coincidence in the story is that both Mr. Farrington

and Mme. Beaumont are both poor people acting rich. What makes this
ironic is the way that they were described. Mme. Beaumont was
regarded as a “super-excellent guest” who “preserved the state of a
queen.” Mr. Farrington comments on “the Philistines” which refers to
people who don’t have a sophisticate appreciation for the arts. Both of
them fit perfectly into the lifestyle when really they don’t belong at all.
It’s also a major coincidence that the store in which Mme.
Beaumont bought her gown, is the store that Mr. Farrington is a
collector for. Both of them avoided telling each other because they
liked each other.

7) What level of language does O.Henry use in this short story (Formal,
standard, or informal)? Why is it so important to the story’s
effectiveness? Identify the point at which the level of language
changes. What effect does this change have on the reader’s
experience of the short story?

O. Henry uses very formal language in this story. The writing is

important for tone, and for the reader’s perception of the setting and
characters. The reader’s wouldn’t be able to understand the
extravagance of the Hotel Lotus, or the glamourous lifestyle. It also
expresses the difference between the lives of the classes.
The level of language changes when Mme. Beaumont reveals
her true identity, maybe even shortly before when she’s contemplating
telling. The “superfluous, watchful, pneumatically-moving waiters”
become a single “discreet waiter”.
The change changes the feeling of the story in a way that makes
it more accessible to the reader. It’s no longer extravagant,
untouchable or condescending. It becomes real and suddenly you can
relate to the characters. They become real