“A Retrieved Reformation” is a short story that has both realist and romantic elements. Realism as a literary movement was centered on depicting life in a realistic way, including all of the suffering that ordinary life can bring. The realist elements in the story include the depiction of the prison system in the United States in the early 1900s—people were forced to labor for no pay (as seen in Jimmy’s work in the prison shoe-shop), inmates were sometimes pardoned early due to the relationship between politicians and criminal syndicates (as seen in Jimmy’s early release), and, when released, prisoners were given a public transportation ticket and almost no funds with which to rebuild their life (as seen in Jimmy receiving a train ticket and a measly five-dollar bill).
All that said, this story also contains many romantic elements. Romantic literature, unlike its realist counterpart, featured unbelievable stories about adventure, love, and redemption. Notably, romantic literature often featured the glorification of women, with male characters (most often written by men) idealizing and longing for their “perfect” soulmates. In “A Retrieved Reformation,” the romantic elements include Jimmy’s experience of falling in love with Annabel at first sight and having a year-long care-free relationship with her, as well as the tidy and unrealistic ending in which Jimmy heroically saves a child who happens to have become trapped in a safe that only he can open.
