In form, these three novellas are reminiscent of the shorter works of Henry James, such as "Daisy Miller."

James referred to the novella form as "the idea happily developed," which is similar to O'Hara's desire to "get it all down," and both use the narrator as a controlling device, providing a limited, personal perspective on the central characters. In theme, Sermons and SodaWater provides a reflective summation of many of O'Hara's earlier concerns: the tension among people of various social classes, the difficulty of maintaining meaningful human relationships, and the resultant sense of human isolation in a rapidly-changing culture.