A Retrieved Reformation

O. Henry’s “A Retrieved Reformation” is both an engaging story full of humor and ironic twists and a study of transformation, driven by the power of love. Told in O. Henry’s signature style of dry wit, everyday detail, and ironic turns of events, the story introduces James Valentine, a man of considerable criminal skill with powerful friends in high places. Jimmy is a “reformed” bank robber, and his plans to live a decent life are ironically undone by a good deed.

The story’s first scene foreshadows all that is to come. Jimmy’s stint in the prison shoe-shop, the warden’s observation that he isn’t really a bad fellow, and his feigned innocence at mention of his past crimes all hint at the story’s ending, where Jimmy chooses to “live straight” in Elmore, Arkansas. As “Valentine, 9762” becomes “James Valentine” and later “Ralph Spencer,” a parallel narrative also emerges, as detective Ben Price determines to track Jimmy down once again and put him back in prison where, Price believes, he belongs.

Jimmy and Price are foils, and the characterization of both men develops the theme of Professionalism and Work Ethic. Price was responsible for arresting Jimmy in Springfield, and he now resents the fact that Jimmy’s connections got him a short stay in prison and a governor’s pardon. Although Price and Jimmy operate on opposite sides of the law, they share a dedication to their chosen professions and a notable pride in their skills. Both their stories converge in the closing scene, where each man comes to a decision that seemingly contradicts his character but ultimately reveals a deeper motive.

After falling for Annabel, Jimmy determines to abandon his criminal life forever, thanks to her faith in him and his prosperous shoe business. To make his reformation possible, Jimmy continues to lie to Annabel and her family. He feigns only a mild interest in Mr. Adams’s new safe and says that his suitcase full of burglary tools contains only shoehorns. He expects to go out West after his wedding to escape those lies and other baggage from his past.

When it appears that Jimmy is the only one who can open the bank vault, he makes a drastic decision to use his safecracking skills and expose the truth about himself. In that moment, Jimmy knowingly sacrifices his hope for an honest life with Annabel. That decision seems, to him, irrevocable. When he walks away, his life as Ralph is already receding into the past, and as Jimmy believes, so is Annabel. Her voice calling to him resonates as a distant memory of someone he once knew.

For his part, Price also makes an irrevocable decision. Frustrated that his first attempt at arresting Jimmy failed to bring the famous safecracker to the justice Price believes he deserves, Price tracks Jimmy for more than a year. When he finally finds Jimmy in Elmore, he fully intends to thwart the burglar’s plans: “Going to marry the banker’s daughter, are you, Jimmy? […] Well, I don’t know!” (3). In the end, Price abandons a year of detective work to make a decision that completely upends the justice he has been pursuing for so long.

In “A Retrieved Reformation,” the motif of love becomes a force for change and develops the theme of Identity and Transformation. When Jimmy first sees Annabel, he “becomes another man” (3), and as he relates in his letter to Billy, her influence motivates him to keep to his new straight path. However, romantic love is not the only kind of love that motivates change. Jimmy’s decision to expose his past is driven both by concern for little Agatha and her family, and by his love for Annabel, who begs him to help and believes that he can, even though she only knows him as Ralph Spencer. Recognizing that Jimmy has sacrificed his own future for the sake of others, Price makes the compassionate choice to allow Jimmy to go free.

The story’s ending is emblematic of O. Henry’s legendary love of the ironic twist that puts characters in places that completely contradict expectations—both their own and those of readers. In deciding to save Agatha, Jimmy has already accepted that there is no going back to his life as Ralph D. Spencer. When he encounters Price, he is resigned to his identity as “Dandy Jim Valentine” (2) and to the likelihood that he will be arrested. Now that he has lost everything he hoped to have, he seems indifferent to the prospect of returning to prison: “Well, let’s go. I don’t know that it makes much difference, now” (4). Price subverts that expectation by allowing Jimmy to go free. However, the detective’s generous gesture comes too late. Jimmy has already burned his bridges, and his life as Ralph Spencer is already fading away.

With gentle humor and an eye for the mundane details of daily life, O. Henry crafts a story that explores the twisty path to reformation. However, “A Retrieved Reformation” appears to offer no happy ending for Jimmy Valentine, who gives up his new life only moments before Price offers it back to him.