Point of View is the narrator’s position in relation to the story being told. We have looked at first-person, second-person, and third-person points of view. If you need to review these, HERE is a helpful handout.Prompt: After reading the short story “After Twenty Years” by O. Henry, rewrite the story from Jimmy, the police officer’s point of view. In the original story, we don’t know much about the feelings and internal thoughts of Jimmy. In your rewrite, tell the reader how Jimmy feels when he realizes who Bob is. What is going on in his head? What is he thinking? How is he feeling? Remember to keep some things that wouldn’t change from the original story, like the dialogue,the same.

Question

Point of View is the narrator’s position in relation to the story being told. We have looked at first-person, second-person, and third-person points of view. If you need to review these, HERE is a helpful handout.Prompt: After reading the short story “After Twenty Years” by O. Henry, rewrite the story from Jimmy, the police officer’s point of view. In the original story, we don’t know much about the feelings and internal thoughts of Jimmy. In your rewrite, tell the reader how Jimmy feels when he realizes who Bob is. What is going on in his head? What is he thinking? How is he feeling? Remember to keep some things that wouldn’t change from the original story, like the dialogue,the same.

Answer 1

As I stood on the corner of West 48th Street, waiting for the man I hadn't seen in twenty years, my heart was pounding in my chest. Bob was supposed to meet me here at exactly 9 o'clock, but as the minutes ticked by, doubt started to creep into my mind. Could it really be him?

I glanced at the nearby clock and saw that it was almost 10 o'clock. Just as I was about to give up hope, a figure approached me. It was a man, wearing a long coat and a hat pulled low over his eyes. But the way he walked, the familiar gait that I hadn't seen in two decades, it was unmistakable.

My breath caught in my throat as I realized that it was indeed Bob, my old friend from the past. The same Bob whom I had once called my brother, my partner in crime. The same Bob who had betrayed me all those years ago.

As he came closer, I could see the guilt in his eyes, the shame that he carried with him. And in that moment, all the memories came flooding back. The laughter, the late nights, the dreams of a better future. But also the lies, the deceit, the ultimate betrayal.

I wanted to confront him, to demand an explanation for his actions. But as he stood before me, with tears in his eyes, I couldn't bring myself to say a word. The pain of the past was still raw, the wounds still fresh.

And so, as we stood there in silence, I knew that some things would never change. Bob may have been my friend once, but he was also the one who had shattered my trust. And as he walked away into the night, I couldn't help but wonder if, after twenty years, we could ever truly be friends again.