A Retrieved Reformation

Jimmy’s clothes and general appearance reflect the changes in his identity. Clothing is a motif that represents Jimmy’s character growth and supports the theme of Identity and Transformation. Similarly, shoes are symbolic of Jimmy’s redemption. The narrative frames Jimmy as a cobbler who evolves into the owner of a shoe store. This evolution parallels Jimmy’s transformation from a bank robber to an unlikely bank hero.

The story opens with Jimmy working in the prison shoe-shop. When Jimmy is released from prison, he temporarily reflects “Valentine, 9762,” his prison persona: “He had on a suit of the villainously fitting, ready-made clothes and a pair of the stiff, squeaky shoes that the state furnishes to its discharged compulsory guests” (1). However, as soon as he returns to his room behind Mike Dolan’s café, he changes into “tasteful and well-fitting clothes” (2) and heads out into the world as his old self—an identity that’s part of his signature style as “Dandy Jim Valentine” (2).

In Elmore, Jimmy adopts the pseudonym Ralph D. Spencer, and his clothes and cultured manner help him establish himself as an upstanding businessman: “The clerk was impressed by the clothes and manner of Jimmy.