The title "A Retrieved Reformation" refers to the central theme of the short story by O. Henry. In the story, a reformation refers to a change or transformation in a person's character or behavior. The term "retrieved" suggests that this transformation has been recovered or redeemed in some way.
The story revolves around a reformed criminal named Jimmy Valentine, who has turned his life around after serving time in prison. He has retrieved or redeemed his life from a life of crime and is trying to live as an honest man. However, circumstances force him to use his safecracking skills one last time to save a child's life. In the end, the title reflects Jimmy's journey of transformation and how his criminal past resurfaces āŠŦāŠ°ી āŠĶેāŠાāŠŊ āŠે for a noble cause āŠāŠŪāŠĶા āŠાāŠ°āŠĢ, ultimately leading to his redemption.āŠĩāŠģāŠĪāŠ°
The story begins with the introduction of Jimmy Valentine, a skilled safecracker who has just been released from prison after serving ten months of a four-year sentence.
He heads to the town of Elmore, where he starts living a reformed life under the alias Ralph D. Spencer. Jimmy intends to leave his criminal past behind and become an honest, law-abiding citizen.
In Elmore, he takes up a job as a shoe salesman and begins attending church, where he meets and falls in love with Annabel Adams, the daughter of the town's banker. His newfound love for Annabel motivates him to stay on the straight and narrow path.
However, his criminal past remains a secret until a surprise visit from Ben Price, a detective who had been pursuing Jimmy for years. Price is now in Elmore, suspecting that Jimmy might be there under a new identity. As he investigates, he realizes that Jimmy, now known as Ralph Spencer, is the man he has been looking for.
Just when it seems that Jimmy's reformation will be short-lived, fate takes a surprising turn. Little Agatha, Annabel's niece, becomes trapped in the bank's newly installed vault. Jimmy's safecracking skills are the only hope of rescuing the child. In a dramatic turn of events, he opens the vault and saves Agatha, proving his reformed character to everyone, including Ben Price.
Impressed by Jimmy's heroics and touched by his love for Annabel, Price decides to let Jimmy go free, provided he leaves Elmore and never returns to a life of crime. Jimmy agrees and leaves town with Annabel, with the promise of a better, lawful future together.
The story ends on a note of redemption and the possibility of a fresh start, illustrating āŠિāŠĪ્āŠ°āŠĢ O. Henry's theme that people can change and that a "retrieved reformation" is indeed possible.
It's a tale that combines elements of romance, suspense, and irony āŠāŠાāŠ્āŠ·, making it a classic O. Henry story known for its unexpected twists and moral message.
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