Jimmy Valentine Essay

Improved Essays
Memorable is what makes something notable and that is what Jimmy is. The character Jimmy Valentine from the story “A Retrieved Reformation” has character traits that make him memorable. Jimmy’s appearance to others through his clothing makes him sophisticated. In addition, Jimmy is also loving and skillful to make him memorable. All in all because of these three traits he is a very admirable character. It is through clear textual evidence that the audience learns how Jimmy valentine is a sophisticated person allowing him to be a notable character. Jimmy’s sophistication is especially shown through the story when the audience finds out that Jimmy has the finest tools in the east and had spent over 900 dollars on them. This shows how refined …show more content…
The first example is when he gave up Anabelle to save Agatha. His love for Annabelle allowed him to give her up in order to save Agatha. This shows that Jimmy loves Annabelle so much that he is willing to give her up in order to save the life of Agatha. Another example is when he was able to give up his past life by giving away his tools for the love of his life. By giving away his tools Jimmy is telling himself that the love of his life is better than cracking a safe could ever be. A final example would be when the author describes the transition of jimmy into a new man. “Mr. Ralph Spencer the phoenix that arose from Jimmy Valentine’s ashes-ashes left by the flame of a sudden and alterative love-remained in Elmore and prospered” (32). This is an example of Jimmy’s love because Jimmy is changing into a new man for the love of his life. Jimmy is a very loving character and it makes him a vital character for the audience. In conclusion, the character of Jimmy Valentine from the story “A Retrieved Reformation” is the epitome of a memorable character because of the noteworthy character traits that he displays. It is because of his sophistication, skillfulness, and loving personality that the reader is able to understand why Jimmy is an indelible character. All in all, the character traits of Jimmy make him an admirable

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Also Jimmy is the only one putting any effort into the relationship. Jimmy wants to make Martha love him. He longs for her love so much that it affects his job in Vietnam. It affects mainly his focus and situational awareness that can be deadly in a war…

    • 671 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Albert Vinicio Baez Essay

    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Albert Vinicio Báez (/ˈbaɪ.ɛz/; November 15, 1912 – March 20, 2007) was a prominent Mexican-American physicist, and the father of singers Joan Baez and Mimi Fariña. He was born in Puebla, Mexico, and his family moved to the United States when he was two years old because his father was a Methodist minister. Baez grew up in Brooklyn and considered becoming a minister before turning to mathematics and physics. He made important contributions to the early development of X-ray microscopes and later X-ray telescopes.[1][2] Contents [hide] 1 Early life 2 Academic life 3 Retirement 4 References 5 Further reading Early life[edit]…

    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Jim Gilmore Essay

    • 546 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Jim Gilmore When it comes to Republican candidate Jim Gilmore, the student that was a member of the University of Virginia’s Republican organization, most focused issues are about preserving the second amendment and making sure that no assault weapon ban exist, repairing America’s defense, and restoring America’s economy. In a sense Gilmore has experience in managing and governing people due to the fact that he was Governor for the state of Virginia back in the year 1997. What sets him apart from the others running for president is that he is not campaigning since he joined the presidential debate back in July 30. On his Presidential website, “gilmoreforamerica.com,” you have the option to see the main issues he wishes to target if he won, his biography, and the only single video that involves…

    • 546 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Valley Forge Essay

    • 1157 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In the winter of 1777-1778, a small village in Pennsylvania made history. In the midst of the Revolutionary War, this village, called Valley Forge, was the temporary home of over 10,000 American soldiers under the control of General George Washington. That particular winter was long and bitterly cold, enough so that Valley Forge made its mark in American history as being the lowest point in the war for independence. The village of Valley Forge is located in the Schuylkill Township in Chester County, Pennsylvania.…

    • 1157 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Sargent Johns Essay

    • 466 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Sargent Johns, one of the JROTC instructors at TJ, took a small yet adventurous trip to Centennial Airport where he was invited to take a thrilling Airplane ride. Students attending Thomas Jefferson also have a great opportunity to The Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum. Sergeant Johns was selected from a group of teachers who were entered into a raffle to win the chance and ride in a vintage 1948 Stearman Biplane. When asked about his flight in the Stearman Biplane Johns said, “Believe me after flying in it, I wanted more”. As apart of him winning the ride in the plane he now can give every Thomas Jefferson student a free ticket of entry for the museum.…

    • 466 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There was two types of people, in Jimmy’s eyes: “words” and “numbers” people. He lives in a society where scientists and mathematicians are prized for their skills, while the writers and artists are pushed aside. Jimmy, being a “word person” in the novel, goes off to a poor and struggling college called Martha Graham Academy, which doesn’t have much of a future. The conditions there were second-rate and carried poor security. Jimmy’s talent of writing is only useful when it comes down to advertisement for the compounds.…

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Jonas Salk Essay

    • 1558 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Success and failure are common encounters that many people face and it should not be a stopping point for one to continue to achieve a goal. While many American icons come face to face with this conflict, the end result is a person, an icon that has made a positive impact on their surroundings, which their struggles are often overlooked. Although they may hit a few bumps along the way, the end result of their achievement is what is left to be discussed all over the world. Jonas Salk is one of those figures that can be greatly considered an American icon. Born on October 28, 1914, in New York City, Jonas Salk was the oldest of three siblings and also the first one to attend college and receive a medical degree (“Jonas Salk”).…

    • 1558 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Standing Alone

    • 1219 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Secondly, Jimmy shows signs of bravery because he is willing to make sacrifices to defend himself. Specifically, he is willing to stand up to the stranger and give up the brooch, his most treasured item from home, in order…

    • 1219 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    We have studied three short stories during this week. All three stories had one common factor of strong and impressive characters, and the character traits explained in the notes are well used and applied differently in each story. The story of “Rules of the Game” by Amy Tan is about a Chess prodigy who lived on Waverly Place in the Chinatown of San Francisco. Waverly Jong, is the major character in this story, she is the protagonist who self learned chess at a young age.…

    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan is a heartwarming and inspiring novel about a young girl who lost her parents and learns about life on her journey of recovering from her loss. Willow Chance is a girl who was adopted by her parents and has been living with them in Bakersfield, California. Since she is exceedingly knowledgeable, nearly everything intrigues her. She is especially fascinated by plants and medical conditions, though, and also is obsessed with the number 7. However, despite her extraordinary brilliance, she is always an outcast at her school because of her unique personality.…

    • 771 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The narrative voice is the perspective of a novel, and it is through this voice that the reader receives and becomes connected to the story. This voice can appear in a variety of ways; for example, one common perspective is first person point of view, through which the narrator speaks directly to the reader by using personal pronouns such as ‘I.’ By creating a character that speaks directly to the reader, they become personally tied to what the narrator is telling them. In this way the reader must come to rely on what the character divulges to them, similar to the way a person might need to when talking to another person. The Feast of Love, by Charles Baxter, takes this common perspective and twists it in a unique and influential way.…

    • 931 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    F. Scott Fitzgerald & Willa Cather Vanda Mallo Keiser University Babylon Revisited Charlie Wales is the protagonist of "Babylon Revisited" (Fitzgerald, 1931), a former drunk and self-absorbed party-goer who returns to Paris, the site of his past 1920s decadence, to retrieve his daughter Honoria. Charlie sees his formal life with sober eyes, and is both shocked and appalled by its extravagance. At times he appears to come to terms with his mistakes and its consequences but sometimes it seems as if he misses his old life, not necessarily the heartache, but the exuberance of it, as in the following passage “But it was nice while it lasted. We were a sort of royalty, almost infallible, with a sort of magic around us” (Fitzgerald, 1931,…

    • 787 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Theme Of Irony In O Henry

    • 1462 Words
    • 6 Pages

    O. Henry repeatedly writes that Jimmy cracks safes with special tools. This foreshadows that something dramatic will happen with Jimmy’s special tools. At the end of the story, Jimmy saves Agatha, using his special tools. The foreshadowing used helps develop the theme that people can change. O. Henry uses foreshadowing in “The Gift of the Magi” to create anticipation and develop the theme.…

    • 1462 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It’s that time of the year again where love is in the air everywhere you go, stores are buzzing with red and white display and gifts like teddy bears, flowers and chocolates are flying off the shelves. Growing up I use to dread this day because I didn’t have a boyfriend or someone to buy me a gift or at least give me a rose like all the other girls. Years later I got to understand that Valentine’s Day is just a day like any other. As much as we live in a society that has made Valentine’s Day to be about romantic love, it’s not everyone who is in relationships and you…

    • 756 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Silas Marner, a book of betrayal, grief, happiness, and justice. Silas Marner was the protagonist of this book, and he played an important role as the story was developing. Over the course of the story, we see Silas pass through several phases, such as friendship, desolation and becoming a loving father. In this essay I will focus on how Silas Marner lost his humanity, how was he living with his grief, and how he miraculously recovered his humanity.…

    • 739 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays