Long Questions / Descriptive Type Questions
(Q.1) Why was Jimmy sent to prison? What advice and things did Jimmy get from the prison officials at the time of his release? What is your impression of the prison and its officials where Jimmy was confined?
Ans. Jimmy Valentine was a safe-cracker. He was sent to prison for burglary at Springfield.
The warden advised Jimmy to stop breaking safes and live honestly. At the time of his release the prison officials gave Jimmy a railroad ticket, a five-dollar bill, a cheap cigar and a handshake.
The prison appears to be a modern one with provision for prisoners’ rehabilitation. During his stay in the prison, Jimmy learns shoemaking. His knowledge and skill in shoemaking helped him to set up a shoe-store at Elmore later. The warden of the prison is also quite kind-hearted. He advises Jimmy to follow the path of honesty. So the prison helps in the reformation of Jimmy, and its officials appear quite generous and kind-hearted to criminals.
(Q.2) How did Jimmy Valentine celebrate his freedom after getting released from jail?
Ans. Jimmy Valentine was released from prison after serving only ten months of a four year sentence for his gentle behaviour. Though he expected to spend hardly three months in the prison. He received pardon from the governor which was a rare honour. He was in jail for burglary and worked in a shoe shop of the prison. When he was released he was given a suit, a pair of stiff and squeaky shoes, a train ticket and five dollars to transform himself into a proper citizen. He continued to commit burglaries after releasing from the jail. He moved straight to a lavish restaurant and spent the money to eat broiled chicken, a bottle of white wine and good quality cigar. From there he went towards the depot and tossed a quarter into the hat of a blind man. Then he boarded his train and reached a little town near the state line. He went to the café Mike Dolan where he met Mike and shook hands. Thus, he got into the form of his lifestyle after release from the prison.
(Q.3)) What was special about the suitcase and how jimmy valentine used it at end?
Ans. The suitcase of jimmy valentine contained different types of heavy tools for a safecracker. Jimmy wanted to get rid of the suitcase but he could not. It became a burden to him when he started living by honest means. But he was forced to bring back the old suitcase and opened it in front of everyone when the little girl of Annabel’s married sister got trapped in the vault. By his own conscience and his fiancé’s pleadings he happened to take out the tools and use I for opening the vault. Thus, it was revealed to everyone that he was a safecracker and a criminal. If ben price would arrest him, the tools could be strong evidence linked to the three decent bank jobs that Jimmy pulled after being released from jail. The whole incident symbolises how a person’s life transform after adopting criminal activities.
(Q.4) How did Jimmy Valentine settle himself in Elmore with new name?
Ans. Jimmy wanted to settle down in life and give up his criminal life. But he had continued to play his old tricks and open numerous safes in the Midwest of the country. So, he knew it was hard to earn reputation and establish his own business with his real identity. While he was roaming around the street of Elmore, he realised the town did not have any specialised shoe store. He became determined to take up the new venture and set up himself as the new businessman of town. The forces of law enforcement were in search of him so he could not start business with real identity. He was fallen in love with the owner’s daughter of the town’s bank and he knew his father-in-law won’t be agreed to give his daughter’s hand to a safe-cracker. He took up the potential safe-cracking job after arriving in the small town of Elmore in Arkansas. But when he looked up into the eyes of Annabel Adams he felt to give up his life of crime and bring up the new identity of Ralph D. Spencer. With his new identity of ralph D. Spencer he earned massive success in business and won the heart of Annabel Adams too. In this way, he became a civilised citizen finally and started living a peaceful, prosperous life.
(Q.5) How did Adam’s family and jimmy valentine get to know each other?
Ans. Jimmy valentine went to the town’s bank to collect information for setting up his plan of robbery. There he met a beautiful young lady to whom he was attracted by her charms. Later he came to know that she was Annabel Adams, the younger daughter of the bank owner. He asked questions about the town to a boy and got to know about her family too. He talked to the desk clerk at the hotel where he rented a room if show business could grow in the town. After falling in love with her, Jimmy Valentine decided to give up his criminal actions and live the life of an honest businessman. He took up the fake identity of Ralph D. Spencer and started his shoe business in the town. In the hotel where he rented a room, registered his name as Ralph D. Spencer. Even the whole family of Annabel Adam’s knew him as Ralph D. Spencer who was a businessman. He knew that his respected would be father-in-law won’t be happy to find out his son-in-law as professional safecracker.
(Q.6.) What was the connection between Ben price and Jimmy Valentine that he did not arrest Jimmy Valentine?
Ans. Ben Price was the detective officer from law enforcement who was following all the actions of Jimmy valentine. He was behind Jimmy for arresting him against his misconduct towards society. Jimmy pulled out two potential bank jobs in the small town Elmore after being pardoned by the governor and released from the jail. He was engaged in collecting information from banks and then rob those banks. In such way he visited a town bank where he met the beautiful lady Annabel Adams and fell in love with him. After that his life took a dramatic shift. He gave up the life of crime and started living the life of an honest businessman. He opened his own shoe store in the town and flourished his business shortly. Ben price was following him to arrest but could not arrest rather released him from complaints. He saved the little girl of Annabel’s’ marred sister’s little daughter who got trapped in the vault. He used his own heavy tools that he use in safecracking activities. Ben price understood that he was no longer a harmful person for the society and he transformed into a person of morals. So, he left him without arresting him.
(Q.7) Describe the contents of Jimmy’s suitcase. Why did he gaze fondly at them?
Ans. Jimmy’s suitcase contained a complete set of burglar’s tools made of specially tempered steel. It had latest designs of drills, punches, braces and bits, jimmies, clamps and augers . It also had two or three novelties, invented by Jimmy himself.
> Jimmy gazed fondly at those tools because it was the finest set of burglar’s tools in the East. Two or three of them were novelties invented by Jimmy himself. So he was proud of them They helped him to carry on his profession of safe-cracking successfully and skilfully. Besides, he spent a large sum of over nine hundred dollars for procuring the set. His professional success was largely associated with those expensive tools.
(Q.8.) Retrace Jimmy Valentine’s course of action from the moment he is granted parole to the time he reaches his room.
Ans. On being released from the jail with a railroad ticket and a five-dollar bill given on behalf of the state, Jimmy Valentine went straight to a restaurant to enjoy the sweet taste of liberty. For breakfast, he had a broiled chicken and a bottle of white wine. He enjoyed a cigar of fairly good quality and headed towards the depot in a relaxed manner. At the door of the station, he threw a quarter of a dollar into the hat of a blind man. Then he boarded his train. It took him three hours to reach his little hometown. He went to the cafe of Mike Dolan and shook hands with him. After a brief exchange of pleasantries , he took the key of his room from Dolan, went upstairs and unlocked the door of his room.
(Q.9) What did Jimmy Valentine do from the time he got out of jail till he met Mike Dolan?
Ans. Jimmy got out of the jail and took a train to another town where he met with Mike Dolan. But before that, disregarding the song of the birds, the waving green trees, and the smell of the flowers, he headed straight for a restaurant. There he ate a broiled chicken and sipped a bottle of white wine. Then he enjoyed a cigar a grade better than the one the warden had given him. From there, he moved leisurely to the depot. He tossed a quarter into the hat of a blind man sitting by the door, and boarded his train. In three hours, he reached the little town. He went to the cafe of Mike Dolan and shook hands with him.
(Q.10) Who was Ben Price? How did he conclude that Jimmy had resumed burgling? What did he decide next?
Ans. Ben Price was the detective who investigated the cases of burglary committed by Jimmy Valentine.
> A week after Jimmy’s release from prison, three cases of burglary were reported. Although no clue was left, Ben Price found similarity in the style and method of operating. The manner of burglary matched Jimmy’s neat, clean and easy style. So from his personal experience about Jimmy’s style of operating, Ben Price concluded that Jimmy had resumed burgling.
> Ben Price vowed to arrest Jimmy. He decided that Jimmy would have to undergo a full-term of punishment. He also vowed to see that no more pardons or short times were granted to Jimmy Valentine.
(Q.11). How does O. Henry establish a contrast between Jimmy Valentine and Ralph D. Spencer?
Or, Do you think Valentine has really changed? [ Or, How would you prove that Jimmy has really changed?
Or, What evidence of Jimmy’s change is found in the story, ‘Jimmy Valentine’? [‘Jimmy Valentine’
Or, “Mr Ralph Spencer, the phoenix that arose from Jimmy Valentine’s ashes…”-Why does the author compare Jimmy Valentine to phoenix?
Ans. Jimmy Valentine and Ralph D. Spencer are the two names of the same person but at two different stages of life. Both are smart, handsome and intelligent. But they differ considerably in profession, association, place and sphere of work, financial condition, social status and mental disposition. While Jimmy Valentine is a notorious safe-cracker, Ralph D. Spencer is a successful businessman. Jimmy Valentine is a criminal being hunted by Ben Price, the detective, but Ralph D. Spencer exacts respect and sympathy from Ben Price for his honesty and generosity . It is ironical that both Valentine and Spencer use the same set of tools for cracking safes for two different purposes-one for looting and the other for rescuing an innocent child. Ralph is the phoenix rising from the ashes of Jimmy burning in Miss Annabel’s alterative fire of love.
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