An American author O. Henry wrote a short story “A Retrieved Reformation” in 1903 and published it in The Cosmopolitan Magazine. The plot tells Jimmy’s story, a theft, and a man who saved a girl’s life-risking to lose the personal relationships he established after prison. O. Henry’s narrative’s main character goes through an incredible transformation from an ugly personality to somebody worthy of respect in the readers’ eyes.
On the one hand, the main character is portrayed as a criminal in the story. As the chief prison officer says when letting him out of the sentence: “This is your chance. Make a man of yourself. You’re not a bad fellow at heart. Stop breaking safes open, and live a better life” (Henry 2). The character implies that Jimmy was never a decent man (Henry 2). Moreover, in that exact conversation, the author lets his readers know that Jimmy is also a liar when he answers: “I never broke open a safe in my life” (Henry 2). The context Henry draws frames the main character as a dishonest man not worthy of sympathy.
On the other hand, the central scene of the story demonstrates the transformation in Jimmy. Even when he starts to see the banker’s daughter, the reader stays suspicious. However, when the main character decides to uncover his skills to save a girl’s life, even if it would mean the end of his romance (Henry 2). At the end of the story, even the police officer admits Jimmy’s personal growth.
To conclude, the plot of O. Henry develops the story of personal growth. It seems that the author communicated a message: any individual can change. The ethical choice made by Jerry at the end of the story contrasts with the framework he was put in at the beginning. Hence, using dialogues and the character’s actions, O. Henry tells the story of a thief becoming a hero.
Works Cited
Henry, O. “A Retrieved Reformation”. American English: 2020. Web.