If you “write what you like [and believe that] there is no other rule,” you may agree with the lifestyle of William Sydney Porter (O. Henry) wrote many great stories, covering different aspects of his life, under the pseudonym O. Henry. He wrote his stories in the literary period and focused on topics that brought to light the reality of the world fictitious way. Not there were fairy lands in his stories, there were, instead, the real slums of the big cities, with a hint of fictional narrative. His life in the poor part of New York combined with the 3 years he spent in prison influenced his writing by O. Henry captures the simplicity and at the same time the complexity of life. He also excelled in showing the lives of the poor of the lower classes on paper. O Henry's life was not easy After trying and failing to make a living by writing sketches Texas, became a reporter for the Houston Post until was indicted as a suspect in embezzling money from a bank (Columbia Encyclopedia); To avoid prison, O. Henry fled to Honduras, where he remained until he heard the news that his wife was deathly ill. He returned to Texas and was imprisoned after his wife's death. He remained in prison for 3 years, working on his writings and compiling a volume of his stories. When the alleged embezzlement was discovered to be the result of technical mismanagement, O. Henry was released from prison. He then moved to New York, where he spent the rest of his life.O. Henry was a pioneer in depicting the lives of lower- and middle-class New Yorkers (Columbia Encyclopedia). He accepted this challenge because of the claim, by socialite Ward McAllister, that "only 400 people in New York were really worth...half the paper...according to the story that O. Henry never knew." what to expect from people. Della discovered that "it was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the feelings she had been prepared [to receive from Jim]" (The Gift of the Magi). People act and react in different and inexplicable ways, O. Henry probably learned this by observing people in his environment. Unexpected things happen in life and O. Henry tries to explain it in “The Gift of the Magi”.O. Henry gained a great understanding of life through his experience with it and chose to share what he learned with the world by writing his short stories. They may not make it into the Scriptures and they may not make the New York best-seller list, but O. Henry's stories capture a side of life that is difficult to understand. What twisty, ironic or funny event will life have in store for us next??