Jack London and O. Henry
Jack London and O. Henry - meaning Summary
Rough Lives, Sudden Ends
Sandburg’s brief poem likens Jack London and O. Henry as rough, working-class figures who communicate physically and plainly: feet on rails, beer in hand, gestures instead of oratory. It emphasizes their sudden deaths—"lights snuffed out"—and suggests a gap between public persona and private feeling. The closing question underlines an uncertain sympathy: despite coarse exterior lives, their inner hearts remained largely unknown.
Read Complete AnalysesBOTH were jailbirds; no speechmakers at all; speaking best with one foot on a brass rail; a beer glass in the left hand and the right hand employed for gestures. And both were lights snuffed out... no warning... no lingering: Who knew the hearts of these boozefighters?
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