When people try to describe O. Henry's writing style, they always use the term "smile with tears", which implies his twisted way of thinking and to conclude every story. These stories usually end in a funny but also cruel way. It is absolutely helpful to elevate artistic thinking in writing a thoughtful story. To better understand the brilliant plots of his twisted endings, let's start with one of his most famous stories, The Policeman and the Hymn1. In this story, the main character was trying to find shelter for the coming winter by getting thrown into prison. After all his attempts proved futile, he found himself moved by the church hymn. Hearing this he decided to make himself a new man by overcoming the evil that had taken possession of him. But only when the anthem was finished, this time he was "hopefully" arrested for doing nothing. When Soapy realized how stupid he was and decided to live a new life, his previous activities deprived him of the right. The ending makes us think about society and how they treated Soapy. What made the story so successful was the ending. The sudden turn of events not only gives readers a sudden fall, but also forces us to think about our lives. To know more about O. Henry's articles, we should pay special attention to what happened in his life and why he wrote stories like The Cop and the Anthem. O. Henry, whose given name is William Sydney Porter, was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. When William was three years old, his mother died and he was raised by his paternal grandmother and aunt. William was an avid reader, but at the age of fifteen he left school and then worked in a pharmacy. He moved to Houston, where he worked at several jobs, including one as a bank teller. In 1884 he founded a weekly humor publication called The Rolling Stone. When the paper failed, he joined the Houston Post as a reporter and columnist. In 1897 he was convicted of embezzling money, although there has been much debate as to his actual guilt. In 1898 he entered the penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio. While in prison O. Henry began writing short stories to earn money to support his daughter Margaret. His first work, Whistling Dick's Christmas Stocking (1899), appeared in McClure's Magazine.