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Jimmy Wells
Bob, or “Silky Bob,” is a wanted criminal from Chicago as well as Jimmy’s best friend from childhood. When he was 18, he decided to move out West, leaving Jimmy behind in New York. Out West he became a hustler and a criminal, making his fortune— as evident by his diamond necklace and gold watch—but also becoming an enemy of the law. Unlike Jimmy, who confidently walks his beat in plain sight of everyone, Bob’s time as a criminal has made him covert and circumspect, evident in the way he lurks in the shadows. His life as a criminal seems to have affected him physically; he has a white scar and a pale face. Despite all this, he still reveals himself to be a loyal and reliable friend. Like Jimmy, he has come to their meeting on time, and even when Jimmy seems to be late, Bob does not lose any confidence that his friend will arrive. At the end of the story, Bob is arrested by a plainclothes police officer pretending to be Jimmy. Bob is upset when he learns the officer isn’t Jimmy, though it is not clear whether he feels betrayed by his friend or whether he is merely shaken by the revelation.
Bob Quotes in After Twenty Years
The After Twenty Years quotes below are all either spoken by Bob or refer to Bob. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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After Twenty Years Quotes
As the policeman walked up to him the man spoke up quickly.
“It’s alright, officer,” he said reassuringly. “I’m just waiting for a friend. It’s an appointment I made twenty years ago.”
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This is the first exchange between Bob and Jimmy in the story, though neither character knows the other’s identity yet. As far as the two of them are concerned, one of them is a police officer and the other one is a man lurking in a shadowy doorway late at night. This power dynamic is reflected is Bob’s nervous attempt to dissuade the patrolman of any suspicion. He realizes that he comes across as a shady character and speaks up “quickly” to explain himself. This moment also hints to the reader that Bob may have something to be nervous about Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas de
We figured that in twenty years each of us ought to have our destiny worked out and our fortunes made, whatever they were going to be.
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Here, Bob explains to the Patrolman why he and Jimmy had agreed to meet 20 years later. Given the opposite paths that the two old friends take in the story, however, this quote takes on somewhat of a tragically ironic significance. Given that Bob has become a wanted criminal in Chicago and Jimmy has become a police officer in New York, in other words, they seem to have chosen destinies which are inherently antagonistic; despite Bob’s innocent optimism (he does not yet realize Jimmy is the patrolman), it does not seem possible for them to meaningfully reunite with one another Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Acc
But I know Jimmy will meet me here if he’s alive, for he always was the truest staunchest chap in the world. He’ll never forget. I came a thousand miles to stand in this door to-night, and it’s worth it if my old partner shows up.
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Here, Bob expresses his confidence in the reliability of his old friend Jimmy. He extols his virtues and seems to have no doubt that Jimmy will show up to meet him. Given that Jimmy is actually the Patrolman and is thus already there, however, this claim takes on a simultaneously comedic and tragic significance. On the comedic side of things, it is funny for Bob to be expressing his confidence that his old friend will show up… to that very friend. Unbeknownst to Bob, however, Jimmy has already fulfilled his commitment, confirming Bob’s confidence that Jimmy will arrive without him Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accus
You bet! I hope Jimmy has done half as well. He was a good kind of plodder, though, good fellow as he was. A man gets in a groove in New York. It takes the West to put a razor-edge on him.
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In response to the Patrolman’s questions, Bob inadvertently reveals more about his questionable past. Not only has he done well, but the circumstances in which he has done so seem to have hardened him, or rather, made him into someone with a “razor-edge” on him. Combined with his ostentatious accessories like his diamond-encrusted watch, this comment suggests to the reader that Bob may not exactly be an upstanding citizen and that his sources of wealth are likely shady at best. As such, this quote also foreshadows the twist at the end of the story which results in Bob’s arrest. In Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusant
“You’re not Jimmy Wells,” he snapped. “Twenty years is a long time, but not long enough to change a man’s nose from a Roman to a pug.”
“It sometimes changes a good man into a bad one,” said the tall man. “You’ve been under arrest for ten minutes.”
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Having just seen his supposed friend in full light, Bob realizes that the man walking beside him is not actually Jimmy. In explanation, he points out that time can only change your appearance so much, to which the man retorts that it can change a “good man into a bad one.” This is one of the key themes of the story—the idea that time can change the sort of person you are. In fact, it is arguably Bob’s failure to recognize this that leads to his arrest: even though he himself has changed, he is unable to recognize that Jimmy Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis.
His hand was steady when he began to read, but it trembled a little by the time he had finished.
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Having just been arrested by the plainclothes police officer, Bob receives a note which reveals that the Patrolman from earlier was his old friend Jimmy. His reaction to this revelation—his “trembling” hand—leaves a lot up for interpretation, as it is hard to know what exactly Bob is feeling in this moment. Not only has he just been arrested, but he has been betrayed by one of his oldest, most trusted friends. As such, his trembling hand could just as easily be a product of anger as it could be of sadness for the end of their relationship. It could also Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis
Bob: I was at the appointed place on time. When you struck the match to light your cigar I saw it was the face of the man wanted in Chicago. Somehow I couldn’t do it myself, so I went around and got a plain clothes man to do the job.
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Here, Jimmy reveals to Bob that he was the patrolman from earlier. Instead of telling him in person, however, Jimmy chooses to write Bob a note instead, explaining that it was he who called in the arrest. Jimmy’s motivations for this are not immediately obvious, though it seems most likely that he did not want to spoil the memory of his relationship with Bob by personally arresting him and revealing himself. It is also possible that Jimmy would not have been able to do it at all, had he been there himself. In either case, this note complicates the nature Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Re
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Bob Character Timeline in After Twenty Years
The timeline below shows where the character Bob appears in After Twenty Years. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
After Twenty Years
...arrive, but after 20 minutes a tall man shows up. The man asks if it’s Bob, and Bob asks if he’s Jimmy. They confirm who they are, and Jimmy expresses his...
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...two men walk under bright lights at the drug store and look at each other. Bob stops and lets go of Jimmy’s arm, telling him that he knows he’s not actually...
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Bob unfolds the note and begins to read it. His hand is steady at first, but...
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