A Brief Discussion About the Story:
Jimmy Valentine is an interesting short-story of O. Henry. The main character of the story is Jimmy Valentine. The whole story revolves round Jimmy. He is a top class burglar. He loots banks, leaving no clue. The police suspect him but hardly arrest him. A noted detective can spot him out. But Jimmy is not at all bad at heart. After a big bank burglary Jimmy changes his address. He comes to settle in Elmore. Here he suddenly changes for the better.
It is all for Annabel Lee, a banker’s daughter. Jimmy falls in love with her. Jimmy the burglar is transformed into Mr. Ralph D. Spencer, the businessman. Jimmy opens a shoe-shore in Elmore and soon his business thrives. Jimmy and Anabel are engaged. So far there is no twist in the story.
But an accident takes place. Annabel’s cousin gets locked in a vault in her father’s bank. None can open the lock. It is a new vault. The system of unlocking the vault is not known. Obviously, all are panicky. The situation comes to such a pass that Jimmy has to use his expertise. He knows the result of his work. To save the life of the girl means the public exposure of his past identity. But he does not hesitate.
Anyway, the girl has been saved. And Jimmy comes face to face with the detective, Ben Price who has long been watching the whole scene. Here again the story takes an abrupt turn. Then the ball is in the court of the detective. Yet Jimmy wins the game. For, the detective refuses to recognize Jimmy. Thus the story, within its short compass upholds the whole of Jimmy.
Descriptive type Questions with Answers:
Q. No. 1:- What did Jimmy Valentine do from the time he got out of jail till he met Mike Dolan ?
Ans:- Jimmy had been in jail for nearly ten months. He had been accused of burglary. However, he managed to get pardon from the governor and the warden released him. The clerk handed him a railroad ticket, a sum of five dollar and the warden give him a cigar. After released from jail, he walked out into the Sunshine and disregarding the song of the birds, the waving green trees, and the smell of the flowers, he headed straight for a restaurant. There he tasted the first sweet joys of liberty in the shape of a broiled chicken and a bottle of white wine. Then he relished a fine cigar better than one given by the warden. From there he proceeded leisurely to the depot. He found a blind man sitting by the gate and he tossed a quarter into his hat and boarded his train. In three hours he reached the little town. He went to the café of Mike Dolan and shook hands with him And took the key to his room.
Q. No. 2:- Describe the contents of Jimmy’s suitcase. Why does he gaze fondly at them?
Ans:- Jimmy is a professional burglar. Jimmy has a suitcase and it contains a complete set of the finest burglary tools made of special tempered steel. It contains latest designs in drills, punches, braces and bits, jimmies, clamps and augers. Some of them are quite novel as they are invented by Jimmy himself.
After being released from prison, Jimmy appears in his secret dormitory. There he took out his suitcase filled with dirt from a secret place on the wall. He then opens the suitcase and looks at the instruments in it with absolute affection, because these instruments were the most perfect set of stealing tools in the East. As a professional safe-cracker, he uses all the tools effectively. His profession success mostly depends upon these tools. Again, some of his tools are his own making. Obviously, he has great attachment to his invention. Besides, these tools cost him over nine hundred dollars. Jimmy knows the secret of his success lies in the effectivity of his favourite set of tools. Hence, I think Jimmy fondly gazes at them.
Q. No. 3:- What new name did Jimmy Valentine assume at Elmore ? What business did he open there ? How did Jimmy fare at Elmore ?
Ans:- ➣ Jimmy Valentine assumed the new name of Ralph D. Spencer at Elmore.
➣ He opened a shoe business at Elmore.
➣In Elmore Jimmy’s shoe business was flourishing and secured a good run of trade. In Elmore, dry-goods and general stores handle the shoe business. There was not any exclusive shoe-store in the place, it was an additional benefit for Jimmy to prosper his business. At the end of the year, Jimmy had won the respect of the community and had an adorable person. He succeeded in securing the love of Annabel and they were engaged to be married. Even Mr. Adams, the typical, plodding, country banker approved of Jimmy.
Q. 4:- “That’s Dandy Jimmy Valentine’s autograph” — Who is the speaker ? What was the context of the remark?
Ans:- ➢ The speaker is Ben Price, the detective.
➢After Jimmy’s release from jail, there was three neat job of safe-burglary done, first in Richmond in Indiana, then in Logansport, at last in Jefferson City. Ben Price, the detective investigated the scenes of the robberies and confirmed that those were the handwork of none other than Jimmy Valentine. Jimmy was a professional burglar. He did not leave any clue of his misdeeds. He jerked out the combination lock using his special tools. He used his drill to make only one hole in the vault. The tumblers were punched out clearly. Ben Price knew these were Jimmy’s signature style. By comparing with these notes, a remarkable similarity in the methods of burglary was detected which showed the invisible autograph of Jimmy Valentine.
Q. 4:- What did Jimmy write to his old friend in St. Louis ? Why did he write so ?
Ans:- ➢ Jimmy wrote a letter to Pal, an old friend in St. Louis. In his letter he requested his old friend to meet him at Sullivan’s place, in Little Rock. The most important thing he mentioned in the letter was that he wanted to give his favourite tools of burglary as a gift to his friend. He also mentioned that it was a rare tools of burglary which could not be duplicated for a thousand dollars. Then he wrote, he started a business since a year and now he had been leading an honest life of a businessman and was going to marry to marry the finest girl in the world within two weeks. He added that he wanted to lead a straight life and would never commit a sin. In his letter, he told his friend that after he got married he will go to the West and start a new life. He added at the end of the letter that his ladylove was an angel and for her love he promised never to do another crooked thing for the whole world. All this he wrote to his old friend.
➢ The main reason for becoming an honest man from a skilled and perfect burglar was the love of Miss Annabel Adams. He did not want to do anything wrong in his life even again. Because, he realized Annabel trusted him and he didn’t want to break his lover’s trust. So he wanted to give his favorite burglary tools to his old friend and marry Annabel and go somewhere in the West and live a simple life in happiness and peace. This was the main reason for writing a letter to his friend.
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