This week we read a short story by O. Henry which is called “A Retrieved Reformation.” O. Henry writes short stories and most of them have a twist at the end, which leaves the reader cliffhanging. I enjoyed the short story because O. Henry’s writing makes you think about what is happening. He sometimes writes his short stories by having a really descriptive sentence and the next sentence is very simple. I like how he does that because it makes you think instead of the author saying it. This story was about a boy named Jimmy Valentine. He got out of jail by his friend. The reason that he got into the prison is that he robs banks. Jimmy has very special tools that only he has. The tools are every expensive. Once he gets out of jail he go robs a bank with a lot of money. After that Jimmy left to Richmond, Indian to go rob a bank. On his way there he locks eyes with this woman that was walking on the same street. He immediately falls in love with her. Her name is Annabel Adams and her father owns the bank that Jimmy was about to rob. Jimmy stays Elmore for a while. He changes his name to Ralph Spencer and start a shoe store. There weren’t any shoe shops in Elmore so he decided to make one. Ralph (Jimmy) starts a new life there with new friends, successful in business, and finally meets Annabel Adams. “He liked her better every day.” (Pg.50) A year later, Ralph and Annabel were about to get married. Annabel doesn’t know that her fiancé is a criminal or his real name is Jimmy Valentine. One day something horrible happen that forced Ralph to choose to help or save her. It started when Annabel’s family and Ralph went to the bank. Ralph chose to save the little girl who was stuck in the safe. Ralph doesn’t know that a detective saw him doing that good deed without stealing the money. Ralph had become a better man. The story ends off with Ralph/Jimmy walks away with a flower that Annabel was wearing.
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