Witches Loaves

 Witches Loaves is a short story written by O. Henry . O. Henry depict the story’s setting to be unique so as to develop the theme and the main character Martha. The setting is made in a bakery therefore contributing to its plot. The author introduces the story in a small setting in a bakery and an old lonely woman who is interested in an artist who only visit the bakery for two loaves of stale bread. In this constant setting, the main characters are developed therefore creating its theme.

The author introduces few characters to create clear conflict and the life that Miss Martha lives in. the author develops the theme of irony and sarcasm by introducing the main character and all her assumptions.

Miss Martha became fond of the man who buys stale bread, and she finally believes that he was poor since Miss Martha thought that he could not afford much. As a gesture of good will, Miss Martha puts butter on the bread without him noticing thinking that the man will take notice on her. She mixed quince seed and borax to make her skin look healthier to impress the man. Her actions indicate that she was interested in the man and thought that by putting butter in the bread, the man would be grateful and notice her. 

After Miss Martha’s action, the man came back very annoyed, and the co-worker explained to Martha that the man was an architecture and that he used the stale bread to erase the pencil marks on his draft. The man was angry because the butter had ruined his paintings. Martha was outraged as she learned that the man was not interested in her and she threw her beauty mixture out of frustration. Her intentions was not identified and neither did she know the man’s intentions. The good intentions of Miss Martha are considered as an act of witchery by the artist. Her action indicates that flattery is her daily activity that has developed into her character. It is evident that she develops a crush on a man she knows nothing about, and she thinks that he is poor and that is the reason why he buys stale bread. To please the man she put butter in his two loaves which make the artist very mad. She thought she was helping the artist and she ended up ruining the painting hence drawing the man further away from her and her bakery shop. She acted out of impulse and was led by emotion instead of reason.