Look at the title 'The Loaves'. What can you tell about the story using the title as the context?
Answers
About the Author
Have you ever tried to do something nice, only to have it backfire? The main character in this story can certainly relate.
O. Henry is the pen name of American author, William Sydney Porter, known for his mastery of the short story. He is particularly known for his witty writing style and clever surprise endings. In this story, ''Witches' Loaves,'' the end surprise is not a happy one for either of the two main characters.
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Miss Martha & the Gentlemen
Miss Martha, our protagonist in this story, owns a small bakery. She is middle-aged and single, but still holds out some hope for a love connection. When a man with a German accent comes in two or three times a week, Martha begins to think of him as a possibility. Strangely, he always asks for two loaves of stale bread.
Martha begins to think about the gentleman and how to find out more about him. Noticing his stained fingers, she assumes he is an artist, so she hangs up a painting for him to notice and discuss. She takes to dressing up for his regular appearances and mixes up a face cream formula to look her prettiest.
The man does talk about the painting briefly, but otherwise seems to take no notice of poor Miss Martha's fervent efforts to get his attention and interest. If you have ever had this experience of having a romantic interest ignore you, you can likely sympathize with Miss Martha's frustration.
Finally, she resorts to food to please him and show him how she cares. If you have been wondering about the title, knowing that there are no witches in the story, here may be a clue. Think of how many times witches use food to entice victims in fairy tales: Snow White and the poison apple, Hansel and Gretel and the Candy House, and others as well. Perhaps O. Henry wanted us to think of Miss Martha as luring the man in by providing him with a treat.
The Surprise Ending
After Martha sneaks fresh butter into the man's loaves as a present from her, she has high hopes that this gesture will win him over. Soon the German man and a younger man come into the bakery.
The artist is furious at Miss Martha, much to her surprise. He pounds angrily on the bakery counter, shouting, '' 'You haf shpoilt me,' he cried, his blue eyes blazing behind his spectacles. 'I vill tell you. You vas von meddingsome old cat!'''
The younger man explains that he works in the same architectural office as the older man. Her ''artist'' was actually an architectural draftsman who had been working for months on an entry for a contest to design a new city hall. He says, ''You know, a draftsman always makes his drawing in pencil first. When it's done he rubs out the pencil lines with handfuls of stale bread crumbs.''
Of course, bread slathered with butter—well—we can easily imagine the mess that resulted.
Poor Miss Martha is once again resigned to the single life. She takes off her fancy clothes and throws her beauty formula in the ash can.
Themes
The key theme in this story is the making of assumptions, or guesses based on minimal information, and acting on those assumptions, which may not be correct at all.