Alias Jimmy Valentine by O. Henry (D.A.Q.)
Q. Describe the activities of Jimmy Valentine arriving home from prison.
Answer: Jimmy Valentine spent almost ten months in prison. He was accused of breaking the vault and stealing it. He was sentenced to four years in prison. In the meantime, he received a letter of apology from the governor. The jailer gives Jimmy the good news. On this beautiful morning Jimmy was brought to the jailer's office. He was given a railway ticket and five dollar. The jailer gave him a cigarette. Jimmy was released from prison after a long day at the office. Finally he is released from the jail.
Outside the jail, he observes a free and beautiful nature. The birds are chirping. The green trees sway in the gentle breeze. The air is heavy with the smell of flowers. But Jimmy doesn't care. He enters a restaurant. There she enjoys her first taste of freedom with a specially cooked chicken and a bottle of wine. He bought an expensive cigarette and spent the moment happily. Then finally came out of the restaurant. He walked lightly towards a train departure depot. He saw a blind man begging at the door. He also dropped a penny into his hat. Then Jimmy got into the train.
The journey was three hours long. He landed at a station. This place was a small town near the State line. He went to Mike Dolan's bar. He shakes hands with him. Mike regretted getting Jimmy out of jail late. Jimmy saw no reaction. However, he collected the key to the house from him and went upstairs. He entered the house. There he saw everything in order. He even saw the button on the collar of the famous detective Ben Price on the floor of the house. He immediately remembered his scuffle with the police in his room. However, he pulled out his suitcase from the hidden hole in the wall. He opened it and looked affectionately at his wonderful stealth devices. Those were what Jimmy did until he got home from prison.
Q. Describe the items in Jimmy's suitcase. Why does he look at them affectionately?
Answer: Jimmy is a professional burglar. He is a skilled thief. Apparently he uses a lot of instruments. He hides these devices in one of his suitcases. All in all this a new set burglary tools. These are all made of specially made steel. These are ready in absolutely modern design.
These include drilling machines, punching machines, claps, small clips, Jimmy, stoppers and ground drills. He had to pay in advance for these. Some of these are his own discoveries. But he bought the rest from a place in the west. They cost more than 900 dollar. To make holes Jimmy uses drill. ‘Punch’ is a punching machine. Braces and bits are wood cutting tools with a metal bar attached to the head. ‘Jimmy’ is a small device with which he breaks windows. A clap is a device that holds things together. And ‘agar’ is a device for digging holes in wood or soil. In fact, Jimmy is proud of these devices.
Jimmy gazes intently at these stealth devices. These are his favorite assets. These helped him to break the vault and rob the bank. These arrange his livelihood.
Again these instruments are made with special care. These are not cheaply available everywhere. These are rare instruments. He has to spend a lot of money to collect them. Besides, Jimmy makes some of these at his own expense. Jimmy works alone. He does not need a partner in his work. These instruments always help him to do his job well. Jimmy is always well known for his work ethic. Even the police confessed his skill in stealing the bank vault.
Without these favorite instruments, Jimmy would never have had so much success. For all these reasons, he looks at his instruments with absolute compassion.
Q. According to O. Henry, what is the difference between Jimmy Valentine and Ralph D. Spencer?
Answer: O Henry has established a striking contrast between Jimmy Valentine and Ralph D. Spencer in his short story Alias Jimmy Valentine. The two are the same person but the character functions are different in terms of profession and attitude. These differences can be pointed out in a simple way.
Jimmy is an accomplished burglar. Spencer is a businessman. Jimmy breaks the vault, loots the bank, and lives in the jail. Spencer, on the other hand, has a shoe store. He works hard and becomes rich. Jimmy is a criminal. The police follow him. He is a symbolic nuisance to the common men. Spencer is an honest man, a gentleman of elegant taste. The people of the town have deep respect for him. Spencer lives a straightforward life. He is extremely popular.
However, beautiful Annabel falls in love with him. Her father is a wealthy businessman. He agrees to their marriage. To Jimmy, his stealth devices are the least desirable. He's proud of them. But Spencer's greatest asset is Annabel Lee. He wants to live in her love. She is the only recourse in his life. Jimmy keeps the stolen devices safe. But Spencer survives if he can get rid of them as soon as possible.
Again, Jimmy is a thief. He has no purpose other than to steal. But Spencer is a man of humane feelings. He thinks for others. A little girl, named Agatha, is trapped in a secret cell of the bank. No one can open the cell.
If it was Jimmy, maybe he would have left. But Spencer thought differently. He opened his suitcase. He took out the stealing devices and opened the vault. Everyone around him was amazed. Everyone knew his true identity. After all, Ben Price was also there to catch him. But Spencer did not pay attention to these. His only goal is to save the girl's life.
He is not afraid of anything. He knows he will be deprived of Annabel's love once his identity is revealed. But Spencer responded to the call for humanity. In a word, Jimmy is a cold-natured man and calculative. On the other hand, Spencer is passionate. The first listens with only the ears as common people do and the second listens with the heart.
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Also Read:* Alias Jimmy Valentine – S.A.Q
* Alias Jimmy Valentine – D.A.Q
* The Place of Art in Education – M.C.Q
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