A Retrieved Reformation Summary & Analysis

O. Henry is careful to point out that Jimmy approaches his work, even the forced labor of a prison shoe-shop, with dedication and focus, and this establishes Jimmy as a hard worker. O. Henry also establishes Jimmy as a career criminal—one with connections that reach the highest rungs of government. Jimmy knows his connections will pay off and he will be pardoned; he is only “tired” because it has taken so long. The prison too is aware of these connections, and as such, they put little effort into rehabilitating Jimmy. 

The warden doesn’t believe that Jimmy is inherently a bad person; rather, it is Jimmy’s job as safecracker and burglar that makes him bad. This assumption implies that hard work—work that is generally accepted as honest, that is—is essential to living a moral life. The warden’s guess that Jimmy served time because he wouldn’t give up another suggests that Jimmy has integrity and is loyal, both qualities of a good person, and Jimmy’s playful denial of his crimes cement him as pleasant and humorous. Yet Jimmy’s identity as a convict cancels out his more redeeming qualities and Henry’s use of the word “bull-pen” reinforces this. Criminals, often each painted with the same brush, are often stereotypically likened to animals by society, regardless of circumstance or individual qualities.

Jimmy is terribly disadvantaged at his release. His clothes are of poor quality and he is given very few resources to re-enter society. The prison is uninvolved and indifferent regarding Jimmy’s rehabilitation, both inside and outside the prison walls. However, Jimmy is not looking to reform. He doesn’t appreciate his freedom and he immediately indulges selfishly in food and drink. Still, Jimmy’s donation to the blind man suggests that he is deeply caring and empathetic.

Jimmy’s interaction with Mike confirms that his prison stay was a sham and, because of this, Jimmy has very little incentive to reform. Jimmy is deeply entrenched in a life of crime, and his connections (and the government’s corruption) are indeed high-reaching. O. Henry’s mention of a protest in the town where Jimmy’s alleged crime took place, and the apprehension of the governor to pardon him, suggests that Jimmy’s crime was both serious and public. 

Price’s collar-button serves as symbol of his dedication to his job as a lawman. As a highly respected detective, the torn button is evidence of Price’s hard work—an association that also implies Price’s high moral standing. Likewise, Jimmy’s tools symbolize his own dedication to his trade. Jimmy takes pride in his job as a safecracker, and his tools are evidence of that. He dresses nicely and presents himself professionally, despite his dishonest work. Notably, Jimmy is exceedingly pleasant and never drinks hard liquor. While his profession is certainly unscrupulous, Jimmy behaves in ways that are typically regarded as moral and good. 

Price is a serious detective, only investigating high-dollar crimes, which is a direct reflection of his experience and hard work. As the suspected thief, it is remarkable that Jimmy only steals a “scant” amount of money from Richmond and leaves behind silver and securities in Logansport. This implies that he has, at least, some restraint and is not entirely greedy—until the Jefferson City job. Price is convinced Jimmy is guilty because he is the only safecracker skilled enough (and in possession of the right tools) to pull off such complicated work without leaving behind evidence, and this speaks to Jimmy’s hard work and proficiency. 

Jimmy’s arrival in Elmore is not planned—he goes there simply because the mail wagon is headed in that direction. He has his suitcase full of tools and it is clear that he is looking to crack safes; however, he doesn’t appear to have a particular safe in mind. By “forgetting” what he is, Jimmy stops being a safecracker and thief when he falls in love-at-first-sight with Annabel. Her father owns a safe that Jimmy would traditionally break into, and this marks the beginning of Jimmy’s reformation. 

Jimmy can’t live a straight life with a crook’s identity, so he claims to be a shoe salesman, ironically falling back on his prison trade. Yet Jimmy has not completely changed his identity—he is still stylish and pleasant, and because of this, the town of Elmore is eager to accept him.

Jimmy did not intend to fall in love and relocate to Elmore; he intended to rob Mr. Adams’s safe and move on. Instead, he assumes a false identity and tricks Annabel into falling in love with him too. Ralph Spencer is the phoenix arising from Jimmy’s ashes because Jimmy has effectively killed the part of his identity that makes him bad, and thereby unworthy of Annabel.

Jimmy is transformed by his love for Annabel and has no intention of ever robbing another safe—yet he still subtly hints at crime in his letter to Billy and has no problem gifting him his tools so that he can use them to rob people. Jimmy even intends to move further West so that he can continue to evade the law and avoid paying for his past crimes. Clearly, although Jimmy appears on the surface to be reformed (he works an honest job, after all), he remains unremorseful for his criminal acts.

Price has not forgotten about Jimmy, and after a year he is still chasing him. Price has the power to completely destroy Jimmy’s fake identity as Ralph Spencer, potentially costing Jimmy Annabel in the process. 

Jimmy’s breakfast establishes him as an accepted part of Annabel’s family, and his trip to Little Rock will serve dual purposes. Jimmy wants to buy something nice for Annabel at the same time he is deceiving her, which suggests a hidden guilt. Jimmy falsely assumes that enough time has passed since Jefferson City that Ben Price won’t still be looking for him.  

Jimmy is not merely accepted by Annabel’s family, but is accepted in particular by Mr. Adams. So much so that he allows Ralph inside his bank, behind the railings that separate the general public from the money. Ironically, Jimmy is treated like royalty by the bank tellers under the guise of Ralph Spencer; however, Jimmy’s true identity is contained in his suitcase, which he must continue to lie about in order to remain in Mr. Adams’s good graces. Furthermore, Jimmy is only concerned about spending money because he now has to work for it. 

Jimmy is incredibly knowledgeable about safes and vaults, and he must be careful not to give himself away and draw suspicion to his identity as Ralph Spencer. Mr. Adams is so involved in explaining the safe that he doesn’t notice May and Agatha’s interest.  

Unbeknownst to Jimmy, Ben Price is still in pursuit of him for the Jefferson City robbery. Ben is patient and calculated as he closes in on Jimmy.

Despite giving Ralph a detailed description of his safe, Mr. Adams is not able to open it and Agatha is running out of air. Ironically, Mr. Adams claims that anyone who could open the safe is miles away, while standing next to the best criminal safecracker around. Annabel has no reason to believe that Ralph has the knowledge to open the safe, yet she believes in Ralph—the very thing that Jimmy credits as his reason for leaving “the old business” in his letter to Billy. 

Jimmy asks for Annabel’s rose, a symbol of their love, as a way to remember her. Annabel is not guaranteed to still love Jimmy once she learns of his true identity, and Jimmy can’t crack the safe without casting some doubt onto his life as Ralph. Once Jimmy opens the suitcase of tools and begins to crack the safe, he can no longer convincingly pretend to be merely a shoe salesman.

As Jimmy begins to crack the safe, he easily settles back into his true identity. He is a skilled safecracker, and this is obvious to those around him. He whistles because he truly enjoys cracking safes, and he is able to free Agatha quickly—quicker than he has ever cracked a safe before. Jimmy uses his criminal skills for good—despite the risk it poses to his false identity—and it is in this moment that he is truly redeemed.

As Jimmy attempts to leave the bank, certain that Annabel’s love is lost, he recognizes Ben Price’s voice and resigns himself to his punishment—now ready to accept it.

Price stands by the door to ensure that Jimmy sees him, and Jimmy is not surprised to discover that he is still pursuing him. Redeemed and certain that Annabel will reject him, Jimmy does not attempt to elude Price. Surprisingly, after witnessing Jimmy’s redemption, Price lets him go—effectively breaking the law in the process—suggesting that what is right or good may not always be legal.