Difficulty: Beginner to Intermediate | Prerequisites: Basic English reading comprehension (CEFR B1+). No prior knowledge of the authors required.
The Kiss: Love Stories from North America is a graded reader (Oxford Bookworms Library, Stage 3, 1000 headwords) containing five short stories retold by Jennifer Bassett. Each story explores a different kind of love, from romantic manipulation to a child's love for nature. The collection draws on classic American and Canadian literature from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These stories are commonly studied in EFL/ESL programmes and literature survey courses as accessible introductions to major North American short-story writers.
The five stories are: "The Kiss" (Kate Chopin), "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" (Stephen Crane), "A Seashore Wooing" (Lucy Maud Montgomery), "A White Heron" (Sarah Orne Jewett), and "By Courier" (O. Henry). This document covers the first and last of these. The other three are covered in companion study notes.
Date: Originally published 1895 | Source: Oxford Bookworms Library Level 3, retold by Jennifer Bassett
Tags: Kate Chopin, The Kiss, irony, manipulation, love triangle, marriage for money, 19th-century American literature, feminist themes, short story analysis
Nathalie is a calculating young woman who plans to marry the rich but dull Brantain while keeping a romantic connection with the attractive Harvy. After an accidental kiss in front of Brantain nearly ruins her plan, she talks her way back into Brantain's favour and marries him. At the wedding, Harvy refuses to kiss her, and she learns she cannot have everything she wants.
Irony (situational)
A literary device where the outcome of events is the opposite of what is expected. In simple terms, it is when what actually happens contradicts what a character (or the reader) assumed would happen.
Love triangle
A romantic situation involving three people, where one person is connected emotionally or romantically to the other two. Think of it as a three-way tension where competing affections create conflict.
Manipulation
The act of controlling or influencing someone in a clever or dishonest way, usually for personal advantage. In simple terms, this means getting people to do what you want by playing on their emotions rather than being honest.
Marriage of convenience
A marriage motivated by practical advantages (wealth, social position) rather than love. Think of it as choosing a partner with your head rather than your heart.
Femme fatale
A literary character type: an attractive, seductive woman who uses her appeal to manipulate others, sometimes leading them into danger. In simple terms, a woman who uses charm as a weapon.
Characters
Nathalie: The protagonist. Attractive, dark-haired, calculating. She wants both wealth and romance, and she is willing to manipulate people to get them.
Brantain: A wealthy but dull and plain man who loves Nathalie. He is honest and simple, unable to hide his feelings. He represents financial security.
Harvy: A young, attractive man who is a close friend of Nathalie's brother. He has a romantic connection with Nathalie. He represents physical attraction and genuine feeling.
Plot Structure (Three Scenes)
Scene 1, The Fireside: Brantain sits in shadow watching Nathalie. He loves her and she plans to accept his marriage proposal. Harvy enters without seeing Brantain and kisses Nathalie. Brantain witnesses the kiss and leaves in distress.
Scene 2, The Dinner Party: Nathalie approaches Brantain and convinces him the kiss meant nothing, that Harvy is merely a family friend, "almost like brother and sister." Brantain believes her. They become engaged. His face shows happiness; hers shows "the light of victory."
Scene 3, The Wedding: Harvy tells Nathalie that her new husband has sent him to kiss her. She expects to have both men in her life. But Harvy refuses, saying he has "stopped kissing women; it's dangerous." Nathalie gets Brantain's millions but loses Harvy.
Themes
Greed and wanting it all: Nathalie's downfall is that she tries to have both wealth (Brantain) and passion (Harvy). The closing line makes this explicit: "A person can't have everything in this world."
Deception and manipulation: Nathalie deceives both men. She convinces Brantain that the kiss was innocent, and she tells Brantain that Harvy is like a brother. The word "victory" after her conversation with Brantain reveals her true motives.
Irony: The story's central irony is that Nathalie's manipulative skill wins her the marriage but costs her the romance. The kiss that opens the story becomes the thing she cannot have at the end.
Gender and power: Chopin explores a woman using the limited tools available to her in 19th-century society (beauty, social manoeuvring) to gain independence through wealth. Whether Nathalie is a villain or a pragmatic survivor is left for the reader to decide.
Real-World Application
Chopin's work is widely studied as early feminist literature. "The Kiss" illustrates how women in the 1890s had very few paths to financial independence, and marriage was often treated as an economic transaction rather than a romantic one. The story is a useful case study in how short fiction uses irony to deliver social commentary.
Students often think Nathalie is in love with Brantain. She is not. She likes what his money can give her, but the text never says she loves him. The word "victory" after she persuades him reveals calculation, not affection.
Students sometimes assume Harvy kissed Nathalie on purpose to cause trouble. He did not see Brantain in the shadows. The kiss was accidental in terms of its audience, even if it was intentional toward Nathalie.
Some readers believe Harvy refuses the wedding kiss because he no longer cares for Nathalie. More likely, he refuses because he sees through her game. His comment that kissing is "dangerous" suggests he understands the consequences of the first kiss and will not be manipulated again.
⚠️ Be prepared to explain the three-scene structure and how each scene shifts the power balance between the characters.
⚠️ The closing line ("A person can't have everything in this world, and it was a little unreasonable of her to ask for it") is commonly quoted in exam questions. Know what "everything" refers to (both wealth and romance).
⚠️ Expect questions about irony: the kiss that starts the story is the thing Nathalie cannot get at the end.
⚠️ Be ready to discuss whether Nathalie is a sympathetic character. Examiners often ask students to argue both sides.
True or False: Nathalie is in love with Brantain. (False. She wants his money.)
True or False: Harvy deliberately kissed Nathalie in front of Brantain. (False. He did not see Brantain in the shadows.)
Fill in the blank: When Nathalie persuades Brantain to forgive her, her face shines with the light of ______. (Victory.)
True or False: At the wedding, Harvy kisses Nathalie as her husband requests. (False. He refuses.)
Fill in the blank: "A person can't have ______ in this world." (Everything.)
Q: What is the significance of the title "The Kiss"?
A: The kiss is the central event that drives the entire plot. Harvy's accidental kiss in front of Brantain creates the crisis, and Nathalie's desire for another kiss from Harvy at her wedding represents her wish to have both wealth and romance. The title points to the story's ironic structure: a kiss begins her troubles and a refused kiss ends her hopes.
Q: How does Chopin use the contrast between light and shadow in the opening scene?
A: Brantain sits hidden in shadow while Nathalie sits in the firelight. This mirrors their roles in the story: Brantain is passive, hidden, and easily deceived, while Nathalie is visible, attractive, and in control. The shadow also allows the accidental kiss to happen, since Harvy cannot see Brantain.
Q: Is Nathalie a sympathetic character? Argue both sides.
A: In her favour, Nathalie lives in a society where women have limited financial options, and she uses the tools available to her (beauty, social skill) to secure independence. Against her, she deceives an honest man who genuinely loves her, treats people as instruments, and the text frames her success as "victory" rather than happiness, suggesting a hollow achievement.
Q: Explain the situational irony at the end of the story.
A: Nathalie's manipulation succeeds in winning Brantain and his wealth, but the very skill that won her the marriage costs her Harvy's affection. She gets the money but loses the romance. The irony is that her "victory" is also her loss.
Date: Originally published early 1900s | Source: Oxford Bookworms Library Level 3, retold by Jennifer Bassett
Tags: O. Henry, By Courier, twist ending, misunderstanding, communication, messenger boy, love story, dramatic irony, short story analysis, surprise ending
A young man and a young woman are sitting on separate benches in a park, not speaking. He sends a street boy as a messenger to ask why she has rejected him. Through the boy's translations back and forth, the misunderstanding is revealed: she saw him holding another woman and assumed the worst. A letter proves the woman had fainted from a heart condition and he was catching her as her doctor. The couple reconciles.
Twist ending (surprise ending)
A narrative technique where the conclusion reveals information that changes the reader's understanding of the entire story. O. Henry is famous for this. Think of it as the moment everything clicks into place and you realise you had the wrong picture.
Dramatic irony
When the audience (or some characters) know something that another character does not. In simple terms, you can see the misunderstanding, but the characters caught in it cannot.
Juxtaposition
Placing two things close together for comparison or contrast. In the story, the word is used literally (the physical closeness of the young man and Miss Ashburton) but also thematically: appearances versus reality are placed side by side throughout.
Colloquial language / dialect
Informal speech that reflects a character's social background or region. In simple terms, it is writing the way people actually talk. The messenger boy's slang ("yer", "ain't", "guy") contrasts sharply with the formal language of the two lovers.
Ideals
Principles or standards of behaviour that a person holds as important. The young lady's ideals are truth and loyalty, and she believes the young man has betrayed them.
Characters
The young man (implied: Dr Arnold): A gentleman heading to the train station, bound for San Francisco and Alaska. He is desperate to communicate with the young lady but she has forbidden him to speak or write to her. He is later revealed to be a doctor who saved a woman's life.
The young lady (Jane): A principled young woman who values truth and loyalty above all else. She refuses to speak to the young man because she believes he was unfaithful. She is stubborn but ultimately fair.
The messenger boy: A street-smart child who acts as the go-between. He translates the couple's formal, emotional language into vivid street slang. He is the comic engine of the story and also its most practically intelligent character.
Miss Ashburton: Never appears on stage. She is the woman the young lady saw in the garden room with the young man. The letter reveals she had a heart attack and the young man caught her as she fell.
Plot Structure
Set-up: A young man walks through a park and sees a young woman on a bench. She ignores him. He sits on another bench and sends a boy to deliver his message.
Message 1 (man to woman): He is leaving for Alaska. She has been unkind and unjust. He has done nothing wrong. He wants a chance to explain.
Message 2 (woman to man): She values truth and loyalty. She entered the garden room and saw him holding Miss Ashburton under the oleander bush. The "juxtaposition" told the whole story. Her ideals are destroyed.
The reveal: The man gives the boy a letter from Robert Ashburton thanking "Dr Arnold" for catching his daughter when she fainted from a heart condition. The embrace was medical, not romantic.
Resolution: The young lady reads the letter and tells the boy to say "his girl wants him."
Themes
Appearance versus reality: The entire conflict rests on a misunderstanding. What looked like a romantic embrace was a medical emergency. O. Henry builds the whole story on the gap between what the young lady saw and what actually happened.
Communication and miscommunication: The lovers cannot speak directly to each other, so everything passes through a child who translates formal English into street slang. The comedy comes from the translation, but the deeper point is that indirect communication causes problems.
The O. Henry twist: The letter is the classic surprise ending. It reframes the entire story in a single moment. Everything the young lady believed was wrong, and the reader discovers this at the same time she does.
Class and language: The three characters speak in three distinct registers: the man is formal and eloquent, the woman is emotional but precise, and the boy is colloquial and direct. O. Henry uses these contrasts for comedy but also to show that the simplest speaker is the most effective communicator.
Real-World Application
O. Henry's twist-ending technique became one of the most imitated structures in popular short fiction and later in television and film. "By Courier" is a good example of how assumptions based on incomplete evidence can destroy trust, a principle that applies well beyond literature.
Students often think the boy changes or distorts the messages. He does not change the meaning at all. He translates the register (formal to slang), but the content is accurate. His version is a paraphrase, not a corruption.
Some readers assume the young man is guilty and the letter is a convenient excuse. The letter is from the father of Miss Ashburton, a third party with no reason to lie, and it is addressed to "Dr Arnold," confirming the young man's profession and his reason for being close to Miss Ashburton.
Students sometimes miss that the young lady's use of the word "juxtaposition" is deliberate humour. It is a word far too formal for the situation, and when the boy cannot repeat it, the comedy highlights the gap between how the lovers speak and how ordinary people speak.
⚠️ Be ready to explain how O. Henry's twist ending works. Examiners often ask what new information the letter provides and how it changes the reader's understanding.
⚠️ The role of the messenger boy is frequently examined. Know how his translations create humour and what his character adds to the story beyond comedy.
⚠️ Questions about the theme of communication are common. Be prepared to discuss how the story shows the dangers of jumping to conclusions based on visual evidence alone.
⚠️ The contrast between the three characters' language registers (formal, emotional, colloquial) is a popular exam topic.
True or False: The young lady refuses to speak to the young man because he forgot her birthday. (False. She saw him holding another woman in the garden room.)
Fill in the blank: The boy translates the lady's formal word "______" into simpler language. (Juxtaposition.)
True or False: The boy changes the meaning of the messages he carries. (False. He translates the register but keeps the meaning intact.)
Fill in the blank: The letter reveals that the young man is a ______. (Doctor.)
True or False: Miss Ashburton fainted because she was frightened. (False. She had a sudden attack of heart trouble.)
Q: How does O. Henry use the messenger boy to create humour?
A: The boy translates the lovers' flowery, emotional language into blunt street slang. For example, the young lady's careful speech about ideals, truth, and juxtaposition becomes "yer threw him out like last year's hat." The comedy comes from the contrast between the two registers, but the meaning stays the same, which shows that simple language can carry the same weight as formal language.
Q: What is the function of the letter in the story's structure?
A: The letter from Robert Ashburton is the O. Henry twist. It reveals that the young man is a doctor ("Dr Arnold") who caught Miss Ashburton when she fainted from heart trouble. This single piece of evidence overturns everything the young lady believed, resolves the conflict instantly, and transforms the story from a tale of betrayal into a story about the danger of assumptions.
Q: What are the young lady's "ideals" and how do they drive the plot?
A: Her ideals are truth and loyalty. She believes the young man has violated both by embracing another woman. These ideals make her refuse to hear any explanation. The irony is that the young man has been true and loyal all along, and it is her rigid adherence to her ideals (combined with incomplete evidence) that nearly destroys the relationship.
Q: Compare the endings of "The Kiss" and "By Courier." How do they differ in tone?
A: "The Kiss" ends with Nathalie losing what she wanted most, despite her clever manipulation. The tone is ironic and slightly bitter. "By Courier" ends with reconciliation and happiness: "his girl wants him." The tone is warm and comic. Both stories turn on misunderstandings, but Chopin punishes her protagonist while O. Henry rewards his.
Both stories deal with the gap between appearance and reality in romantic relationships. "The Kiss" connects to broader study of Kate Chopin's feminist themes (see also "The Story of an Hour" and The Awakening). "By Courier" connects to the study of O. Henry's signature twist endings (see also "The Gift of the Magi" and "The Cop and the Anthem"). Both stories pair well with the other three in this collection for comparative analysis of how different authors handle the theme of love.
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