American author of short stories O. Henry was outstanding writer in the history of the world literature. His writing is full of various stylistic devices as irony, paronomasia, metaphor, metonymy and exaggeration which make the story full of fun. He is a master of surprising endings, and his story plots are usually designed dramatically, and some unexpected changes at the end make people read and enjoy them. Tearful smile is another feature in his writing style, and it is the combination of comedy and tragedy. O. Henry’s typical writing styles can be presented as follows: humorous language, surprising endings and tearful smile. The article deals with the problem of revealing the stylistic features of irony in the works of a well-known American writer. It describes the language features of realism in American literature.