“The Furnished Room” is often included in anthologies of ghost stories due to its haunting characters, gothic mood, and surprise ending. However, it is more than an atmospheric ghost story. O. Henry examines complex themes such as Transience, Loneliness and Isolation, The Cost of Urbanization, and Hope Versus Hopelessness through figurative language, foreshadowing, and irony.

Like many short stories, “The Furnished Room” begins in media res. The unnamed protagonist is looking for a room to rent, having already inquired at several lodgings. The only context the story provides for his actions is a description of the broadly transient nature of New York City life, so he seems merely another anonymous wanderer in danger of being swallowed up by the city. However, as the story progresses, details about the man’s background and behavior distinguish him: The young man is looking for Eloise, a young woman described as a “fair girl […] with reddish, gold hair and a dark mole near her left eyebrow” (Paragraph 12), who disappeared from her home and came to New York City to be a singer.