ENG 200B Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Kurt Vonnegut, A Retrieved Reformation, Interpretive Dance
Document Summary
I don"t know that it makes much difference, now. price, who seems to be acting rather oddly, replies, guess you"re mistaken, mr. Don"t believe i recognize you. with that, the detective leaves. A retrieved reformation was published in 1909 in o. henry"s book of short stories, roads of. It features several of the narrative elements for which o. henry"s short stories are well known. The surprise ending is especially characteristic of o. henry"s tales, as are the story"s numerous gentle ironies. Jimmy valentine leaves prison with no thought of leading a conventional, respectable life, and he comes to elmore to rob the bank. Instead, he falls in love with the banker"s daughter, finds a new family, runs a flourishing shoe store (having learned to make shoes in prison), and becomes a pillar in his new community. Furthermore, the special skills he had used in his criminal pursuits enable him to save a little girl"s life.
