'A Service of Love" by O.Henry

A Service of Love by William Sydney  Porter

  Hello! Here It's me Reshma  and  This blog is a part of BA's Short story  'I Want to Know Why by Sherwood Anderson and now at present in Semester 4 I am pursuing my Master's degree from Department of English, MKBU.

Summary of A Service of Love

The story starts with the idea that if someone loves their art, no sacrifice is too difficult. However, by the end, the story proves this idea wrong.

Joe Larrabee is a young artist from the Midwest who has dreamed of becoming a great painter since childhood. At the age of twenty, he moved to New York to study art. Meanwhile, Delia is a talented pianist from a southern village. Her family gathers money to send her to New York so she can improve her piano skills.

Joe and Delia meet at an art studio in New York, where many young artists come together to learn. They quickly fall in love and get married. They live happily in a small, simple apartment, supporting each other’s dreams. Joe joins an expensive painting class, hoping to sell his artwork to wealthy buyers, while Delia takes piano lessons with a famous teacher to refine her skills.

Their life goes well until they run out of money. To help Joe continue his studies, Delia decides to give piano lessons. This upsets Joe because he does not want her to work and sacrifice her own dreams. He considers quitting his painting classes to find a job, but Delia convinces him to continue.

One day, Delia happily tells Joe that she has found a student, Clementina, the daughter of a rich General Pinkney. She will earn fifteen dollars per week teaching music. Joe also claims to have sold one of his sketches for eighteen dollars. They celebrate their earnings together.

A week later, Joe notices that Delia has a bandaged hand. She explains that her student accidentally spilled hot food on it, but Joe senses she is hiding something. When he asks her for the truth, Delia confesses that she never found a student. Instead, she had been working at a laundry, ironing clothes to earn money for Joe’s classes.

Surprised, Delia then asks how Joe figured out her lie. Joe reveals that he also lied—he had not sold his artwork. Instead, he had been working at the same laundry, operating the engine. He even sent the cotton and ointment upstairs when he heard a girl had burned her hand.

Realizing that they had both been lying to protect each other’s dreams, Joe and Delia laugh. Their sacrifices were not for art, but for love.

Conclusion : 

The story highlights the deep love and selflessness between Joe and Delia. They both make sacrifices, not for their art, but for each other’s happiness. Their lies were not meant to deceive but to support one another.

In the end, A Service of Love challenges the idea that devotion to art is above everything else. Instead, it shows that love can inspire even greater sacrifices. Joe and Delia’s actions prove that their strongest commitment is not to their careers, but to each other. Their story is a touching reminder that true love often means putting someone else’s dreams before your own.

Thank You!!!