O. Henry's Writing Style and His Ghost's More Mature Style

Wings and O. Henry's initals adorning the cover of My Tussle With the Devil, most likely symbolizing the "wings" he would have now in the afterlife

In order to understand this text, it is important to recognize the writing style of O. Henry. This will not only test the authenticity of the text, but also potentially give a motivation for why A.H. Pratt chose to emulate this particular author. While this may have just been the spirit that contacted him through the Ouija Board, there might have also been a deeper connection between the two in order to eventually create this text. O. Henry's typical writing style is necessary to understand because this is what is showcased through the text.

According to Carl Van Doren, O. Henry's writing style was a combination of dark, mysterious topics that often had surprise endings (257). He typically used morality and similar themes in his writing, grappling with bigger questions, such as his own morals, while simultaneously maintaining many other elements that made his short stories uniquely his. O. Henry famously sent his work to his publisher unedited, because he wanted his reader's to enjoy his raw creativity. It also helped that he was said to have known every detail of his stories before sitting down to write them, ensuring he covered every point he wanted to include (Van Doren).

Knowing all of his details prior to setting them on paper was beneficial to A.H. Pratt because it actually made his spirit writing seem more authentic. Because O. Henry had to write this text via a Ouija Board, he would have known what he wanted to say ahead of time in order to convey it to Pratt. The themes of My Tussle With the Devil also can be described as dark and mysterious, as well as alluding to morality, which make sense considering O. Henry's Ghost would most likely write similarly to how O. Henry wrote in the physical world. Supposedly, A.H.Pratt had no creative part in writing My Tussle With the Devil, but because he was recording what O. Henry's Ghost was writing to him from the afterlife, the writing is said to be more mature and a little darker, to match O. Henry's new experiences. Included in the book are stories involving the afterlife, death, the Devil, and the idea of Heaven, all of which are popular themes of spirit writing. These themes, along with the morality questions presented in most of O. Henry's work, allow for an interesting read for the readers that want the bigger questions answered in a creative and unique way.

Spirit writing is so unique and interesting because it gives a possible vantage point into a world that those of us on Earth have not been able to experience for ourselves. Through spirit writing, it is believed that the words of those who have passed away, like O. Henry, are able to live on, and even create new stories and texts. Technologies such as Ouija Boards were created for humans in the physical world to contact the afterlife, something that would not have been possible before the end of the 19th century. 

Van Doren, Carl. “O. HENRY.” Texas Review,vol. 2, no. 3, 1916, pp. 248-259. JSTOR.