Question

In the story "A Retrieved Reformation," Detective Ben Price follows Jimmy Valentine to Elmore, Arkansas. At the end of the story, what can you infer about Jimmy Valentine’s thinking? What does he believe price aims to do at the bank? In about 50 words, explain what you can infer and support your answer with examples from your text.

Answer 1

Answer:

Detective Price arrested Jimmy in the past. Jimmy sees Price outside the bank after he opens the safe to save Annabel’s niece. Jimmy believes Price is there to arrest him for the recent bank robberies. This is evident when he tells Price, “Got around at last, have you? Well, let’s go

Explanation:

Answer 2

Answer:

At the end of the story, Jimmy Valentine seemed to finally have a change of heart after opening a safe which was believed to be unbreakable with his "special tools" of his trade, to save a young girl stuck in the bank safe.

He believed that the policeman Price was there to take him in custody and finally be imprisoned with definite proof or evidence.

Explanation:

O. Henry's short story "A Retrieved Reformation" revolves around the story of a notorious thief Jimmy Valentine who had a change of heart after saving a young child from a locked bank safe. The end of the story shows Valentine giving up his fake identity and agreeing to go with policeman Ben Price to the station, indicating he's ready to be kept a prisoner.

He believes that Price was there to catch him red-handed as he had never been caught red-handed before in all his crimes. When he was set free from the prison, he blatantly stated that "I never broke open a safe in my life". Now that Price was there to see everything that had happened, even though he didn't rob the bank but rather saved a little girl's life, he believed that the policeman was there to arrest him now that he's seen him break open a safe with his own eyes.

He shows his resignation when he saw Ben Price, simply greeting the man with "his strange smile" and admitted "You’re here at last, are you? Let’s go. I don’t care, now."