A Retrieved Reformation by O. Henry
A Retrieved Reformation Short Essay
Introduction:
“A Retrieved Reformation” by O. Henry is the story of Jimmy Valentine, a clever man who used to rob safes. He was caught and sent to prison. But later, something happens that makes him want to live an honest life.
Jimmy Returns to Crime:
Jimmy is released from prison after ten months. The warden tells him to stop breaking safes, but Jimmy doesn’t listen. Once he is released, he goes back to robbing banks in different towns. A famous detective, Ben Price, starts looking for him because he recognizes Jimmy’s style of robbery.
Love Changes Jimmy:
Jimmy arrives in a small town called Elmore. There, he sees Annabel Adams, the daughter of a bank owner. He falls in love with her and decides to change his life. He takes a new name, Ralph D. Spencer, and opens a shoe shop. He becomes a good man and gets engaged to Annabel. He even writes to an old friend saying he’s giving up his tools forever.
A Big Test and Forgiveness:
One day, Agatha gets locked inside a bank vault. Jimmy uses his tools to save her. Ben Price sees everything but lets Jimmy go, seeing he’s truly changed.
Conclusion:
The story shows that love and kindness can change people. Jimmy leaves crime behind and gets a second chance at life.
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A Retrieved Reformation Detailed Essay
Introduction:
“A Retrieved Reformation” by O. Henry tells the story of Jimmy Valentine, a safecracker who is released from prison. After some crimes he decides to start a new life. His transformation is sparked by love when he meets Annabel Adams, leading him to leave his criminal past behind.
Jimmy Valentine is Released from Prison:
A guard came to the prison workshop, where Jimmy Valentine was busy stitching shoes, and brought him to the front office. "9762" is Jimmy Valentine's prison number. There, the warden gave Jimmy a pardon that had been signed by the governor. Jimmy had been sentenced to four years in prison. With many friends outside, he thought he would only serve three months. However, he had already been in prison for ten months and was feeling tired.
The Warden's Advice:
The warden told Jimmy that he would be released the next morning and advised him to stop cracking safes. He encouraged Jimmy to live an honest life because he is not a bad fellow at heart. Jimmy acted surprised and pretended he had never committed such a crime. The warden, knowing Jimmy was pretending, jokingly asked why Jimmy was in prison. Jimmy still denied doing anything wrong.
Jimmy Leaves Prison:
The next morning, Jimmy was given a poorly fitting suit and uncomfortable shoes. He received a train ticket and five dollars to help him start his new life. The warden gave him a cigar and shook his hand. Jimmy, now free, left the prison and stepped into the sunshine as a free man.
Jimmy Enjoys His Freedom:
Ignoring the birds, trees, and flowers, Jimmy went straight to a restaurant. There, he enjoyed his first meal after being freed. He ate broiled chicken and drank white wine. After that, he smoked a cigar. Then, he slowly made his way to the train station. Before boarding, he gave some money to a blind man sitting by the door. After three hours, he arrived in a small town near the state line.
Meeting Mike Dolan:
Jimmy went to Mike Dolan’s cafe and shook hands with Mike. Mike apologized for not being able to get Jimmy out of prison sooner. He explained that the protest from Springfield had caused problems, and the governor almost didn’t pardon him. Mike asked Jimmy how he was feeling, and Jimmy said he was fine. Jimmy then asked for his key.
Jimmy’s Secret Room:
Jimmy took the key and went upstairs to a room. Inside, everything was just as he had left it. On the floor was a collar-button from the detective, Ben Price, who had helped catch Jimmy. Jimmy moved a folding bed and opened a hidden panel in the wall. He pulled out a dusty suitcase. Inside, there was a set of expensive burglar tools made from special steel. Jimmy looked at the tools proudly, as they had cost him over nine hundred dollars to make. Some of the tools were his own inventions.
Dressed and Ready:
After about half an hour, Jimmy came downstairs. He was now dressed in neat, stylish clothes and carrying his cleaned suitcase. Mike asked if Jimmy had any jobs lined up, but Jimmy pretended to be confused.
A Series of Safe Burglaries:
One week after Jimmy Valentine (known as prisoner 9762) was released, a safe was broken into in Richmond, Indiana. The burglar left no clues behind and only got about eight hundred dollars. Two weeks later, in Logansport, a burglar opened a special burglar-proof safe, taking fifteen hundred dollars in cash, but leaving the securities and silver. Then, in Jefferson City, an old bank safe was robbed of five thousand dollars. These thefts caught the attention of law enforcement.
Jimmy's Skills and Ben's Pursuit:
Ben Price, a well-known detective, began to investigate. He recognized the burglar’s style. He said it was Jimmy Valentine's work, based on how the safes were opened. Ben Price knew Jimmy's habits well, having tracked him in the past during the Springfield case. Ben noted how Jimmy had special tools and techniques that made it easy for him to open safes, like pulling out a knob or punching out the lock in a clean way. Ben was sure Jimmy was back to his old ways and predicted that, this time, Jimmy wouldn’t get out of serving a full prison sentence.
Jimmy Arrives in Elmore:
One afternoon, Jimmy Valentine arrived in the small town of Elmore, Arkansas. As he walked toward the hotel, he saw a young lady named Annabel Adams, (entered the door of The Elmore Bank) the daughter of the bank owner. When Jimmy looked into her eyes, he was so captivated by her and fell in love with her.
Jimmy Becomes Ralph D. Spencer:
Curious about the town, Jimmy asked a boy about the town and Annabel. He learned more about the bank and her family. He then went to the planters' hotel and registered under a new name, "Ralph D. Spencer." Jimmy told the hotel clerk that he was interested in starting a shoe business in Elmore. The clerk, impressed by Jimmy's appearance and manners, gave him information about the town and encouraged him to stay.
A New Life in Elmore:
Jimmy, now known as Ralph Spencer, decided to stay in Elmore. He opened a shoe store, and his business thrived. He quickly became well-liked in the community and made many friends. Most importantly, he grew closer to Annabel Adams and became more and more captivated by her charms.
Jimmy's Success:
After a year, Jimmy's life had completely transformed. His shoe business was successful, and he had gained the respect of the people in town. He and Annabel were engaged to be married in two weeks. Jimmy was also accepted into Annabel's family, feeling like he truly belonged. He was no longer Jimmy Valentine, the criminal, but Ralph Spencer, a respected businessman and soon-to-be husband.
Jimmy's Letter to a Friend:
One day, Jimmy Valentine sat down and wrote a letter to one of his old friends in St. Louis. In the letter, he asked his friend to meet him at Sullivan's place in Little Rock the following Wednesday night at nine o'clock. Jimmy planned to give him his kit of burglar tools, which were worth over a thousand dollars.
Jimmy explained that he had left his life of crime a year ago. He now had a nice store, was making an honest living, and was about to marry the best girl in the world in two weeks. He told his friend that living a straight, honest life was the best decision, and he would never steal again, no matter how much money was offered (a million). After getting married, Jimmy planned to move west to start fresh and avoid any risks of his past catching up with him. He ended the letter by saying that his fiancee is an angel who believed in him and how he would never do anything crooked again.
Ben Price Arrives in Elmore:
Meanwhile, the detective Ben Price quietly arrived in Elmore. He moved around town unnoticed, gathering information. From across the street, at a drugstore, he got a good look at Ralph D. Spencer, who was really Jimmy Valentine. Ben Price knew that Jimmy was planning to marry the banker's daughter, Annabel. Watching from afar, Ben softly said to himself, "Going to marry the banker's daughter, are you, Jimmy?"
Breakfast with the Adamses:
The next morning, Jimmy Valentine, now living as Ralph Spencer, had breakfast at Annabel Adams's house. He planned to travel to Little Rock to buy his wedding suit and a gift for Annabel. It had been more than a year since his last burglary, so he felt safe leaving town for a short trip. After breakfast, Jimmy, Annabel, her father Mr. Adams, her sister, and the sister's two little girls all walked downtown to the hotel were Jimmy is staying. Jimmy quickly went to his room to grab his suitcase, which he planned to take with him to the station. Then they went on to the bank.
An incident at the Bank:
They all entered the Elmore Bank, where Jimmy was always welcomed as Annabel's future husband. Annabel playfully put on Jimmy's hat and lifted his heavy suitcase, teasing him about it feeling like it was full of gold. Jimmy joked that it was full of shoe-horns he was returning. The bank had recently installed a new safe, and Mr. Adams proudly showed it to everyone, explaining how the time-lock worked. ,
As Mr. Adams showed off the safe, the two children, May and Agatha, were delighted by the shining metal and play with it. May (9) in a spirit of play, accidentally locked her younger sister Agatha inside the vault. When they realized what had happened, panic set in because the vault could not be opened, and there was not enough air inside for the child and the child was frightened. Agatha's mother screamed in terror, and everyone feared the worst.
Jimmy to the Rescue:
Mr. Adams was helpless, knowing that only a specialist could open the vault. In despair, Annabel turned to Jimmy and begged him to help. "To a woman nothing seems quite impossible to the powers of the man she worships". Jimmy looked at her with a soft smile, Jimmy rolled up his sleeves, and transformed back into his old self, the expert safe-cracker, Jimmy Valentine.
He commanded everyone to step back and quickly opened his suitcase, revealing his specialized burglar tools. He calmly and expertly began working on the vault, whistling to himself as he drilled into the steel door. In just ten minutes, he had the door open, saving Agatha, who was safely returned to her mother.
Ben Price's Surprising Decision:
As Jimmy put on his coat and prepared to leave, he knew his old life had caught up with him. He saw Ben Price, the detective who had been after him, standing by the door. Jimmy greeted him (Hello, Ben!) expecting to be arrested. But instead, Ben Price, recognizing the change in Jimmy, pretended not to know him. Ben told Mr. Spencer that he was mistaken and didn't think he recognized him. He also pointed out that his buggy was waiting for him. Ben let him go, giving him a chance to continue his new, honest life. Ben let Jimmy go, giving him the opportunity to continue his new, honest life.
Conclusion:
In the end, Jimmy proves his change when he saves a child trapped in a bank vault, despite his criminal history. Ben Price, the detective, sees his redemption and lets him go, showing that people can change and find redemption.
Themes:
✨Redemption and Transformation
✨The Power of Love
✨Second Chances
✨Identity and Disguise
✨Consequences of Past Actions
✨Moral Conflict
✨Social Expectations
✨Justice and Forgiveness
✨The Role of Fate
✨Self-Sacrifice
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