Compare And Contrast A Retrieved Reformation And The Judge's House

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Stoker, the author of “The Judge’s House,” and O. Henry, the author of “A Retrieved Reformation,” construct the setting in their respective short stories in ways that affect character development and plot. Both authors use an edifice as the setting for crucial character development. The opening setting shows one protagonist in a place he actively chooses to be while the other protagonist is unwillingly confined to a penitentiary. Valentine later intends to isolate himself but is drawn into relationships; Malcolmson continues to isolate himself in spite of warnings.

In the middle of the stories, both of the edifices are introduced; Malcolmson comes to the Good Traveller where he meets Mrs.Witham, Ms.Dempster, and Dr.Thornhill while Jimmy …show more content…

In “The Judge’s House” when Malcolm is talking to Mrs.Witham, she tells him, ”there was a general feeling that there was something.(Stoker 8)” Mrs.Witham warned Malcolm that there could have been something in the house, but Malcolm had continued to stay in the Judge’s House. In “A Retrieved Reformation” when Jimmy went to the hotel, the text states, “Jimmy went to the Planters ' Hotel, registered as Ralph D. Spencer, and engaged a room.(O. Henry 5)” Jimmy is planning to rob the bank so he seeks out isolation in the Planters’ Hotel, but according to the text, “He met Miss Annabel Adams, and became more and more captivated by her charms.(O. Henry 3)” He couldn’t rob the person he fell in love with hence bringing him out of isolation unlike Malcolm who chose to remain alone in the Judge’s House.

“The Judge’s House” and “A Retrieved Reformation” are both short stories that portray the setting in ways that affect the plot and character development in such similar ways despite how different they short stories actually are. The edifices, opening setting, and the isolation of the protagonists are very crucial in describing how the setting affects the character development and plot of the two short