Background of the Story
The short story ‘The Ransom of Red Chief’ is written by O. Henry whose real name was William Sydney Porter and who was known for his comical stories. He was born on 11 September 1862 in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. He died of cirrhosis of the liver on 5 June 1910 in New York.
This story is a blend of Classical Comedy and American tall tale. It is just like O. Henry’s other stories which are full of wit, twist and unexpected endings. It was first published in the issue of The Saturday Evening Post on the 6th of July 1907. It has also been adapted for many children’s books and television episodes.
This story has a ten years old boy called Johnny and two kidnappers named Bill Driscol and Sam as the main characters. The story is narrated in the first-person narrative where Sam is the narrator of the story.
The story talks about two men who are in need of money for which they plan to kidnap the child of a wealthy man. They act upon their plan but the plan goes wrong when their victim unexpectedly enjoys himself being kidnapped.
The story is full of ironies and unexpected events. It progresses in a light and fun way. The end is very surprising. It leaves the reader in amazement.
The Ransom of Red Chief Summary
The story ‘The Ransom of Red Chief’ begins when two men, Bill and Sam need some money desperately. Sam who narrates the story says that they already have six hundred dollars and they need two thousand more to work on an illegal project.
While thinking about a solution, Bill is struck with the idea of kidnapping a child. The idea is a brilliant one so they decide to act upon their plan in a small and quiet town called Summit in Alabama. They choose the town of Summit for carrying out their plan because it is backward and populated with more children so it is unlikely to be caught by anyone.
They select the son of Ebenezer Dorset who was a well known and rich man of the town who, they think, can pay two thousand dollars as a ransom for the release of his son.
They prepare a cave in the mountain to hide their victim in. Then they go to catch their victim and find the ten years old boy from a street and take him to the cave which is two miles away from the town. But unlike their expectations, the boy is enjoying being kidnapped. He calls himself ‘Red Chief’ and plays pranks on Bill. He is a trouble-maker. He does not let the kidnappers sleep at night and keep troubling them even in the morning.
Sam goes out the next morning to look down at the town. He inquires about the situation there but unexpectedly everything seems calm and quiet. No sign of disturbance and worried people searching for the kid can be seen.
The boy keeps bothering them and especially Bill. They are extremely annoyed by him that while writing a note for ransom to his father, they reduce the money for ransom and demand fifteen hundred dollars instead of two thousand because that could increase the chances of the return of that annoying boy soon.
Sam leaves Johnny to Bill’s care and goes to post the letter. While sending the note to Ebenezer Dorset, Sam hears a man saying that Ebenezer Dorset’s son has been kidnapped. He becomes happy that the plan is working according to the plan. He posts the ransom note which says that fifteen hundred dollars should be paid as a ransom for Johnny’s return as an answer to this note. He also writes about the exact time and place where the ransom should be kept. He then returns to the cave. But he cannot find Bill or Johnny.
After a while, Bill comes in and tells Sam that he has carried the kid back home because he could no longer tolerate him and has dropped the idea of taking ransom in his return. But while the two men talk, Johnny comes running because he does not want to go back home.
Sam comforts Bill that he needs to be a little patient because their plan was going to work. He asks Bill to play with Johnny and goes down to the town.
He climbs a tree and waits for an answer from Ebenezer Dorset. Meanwhile, a young rider arrives and puts a note in the box. Sam waits for an hour after the young man goes away. He then picks up the note and goes to the cave.
The note says that the ransom they demanded was too high. He proposed to take two hundred and fifty dollars to take Johnny back. Bill insists on accepting the proposal so that night they go down to the town to leave Johnny home.
They hand over Johnny and two hundred and fifty dollars to Ebenezer Dorset. When Johnny realizes that they are leaving, he clings to Bill’s leg but his father pulls him away.
Both the kidnappers run as fast and as far as they could.
The Ransom of Red Chief Characters Analysis
There are four characters in this short story.
Sam
Sam is one of the main characters of the story. He is also the narrator of the story.
Sam along with his friend Bill is the protagonist of the story. They both have jointly six hundred dollars but they need two thousand more to carry out a project. They plan to kidnap a child from the town of Summit but the plan badly fails.
Bill Driscoll
Bill is another main character or protagonist in the story. It is Bill who gives the idea of kidnapping a child. He is also a victim of Johnny’s mischievousness. Johnny beats him and forces him to play with him. In the end, Bill repents his idea of kidnapping and wants to take Johnny back home without even taking the ransom. He rather accepts to pay an extra amount to Johnny’s father for taking his annoying boy back.
Johnny Dorset
The ten years old boy with red hair named Johnny Dorset is the only son of Ebenezer Dorset. He is the antagonist in the story. The story says that Johnny is red-haired where red hair is a sign of wild character. His father is a well known wealthy man in the town of Summit. Johnny gets kidnapped for a ransom of two thousand dollars but he is so naughty that he spoils the kidnappers’ plan. He calls himself ‘Red Chief’, an ideal character in a game. He drives the kidnappers crazy.
Ebenezer Dorset
A Wealthy man who belongs to the town of Summit. He is the father of Johnny Dorset. His son is kidnapped and the kidnappers demand for ransom in return to Johnny’s release. Ebenezer Dorset, unlike fathers, in reality, does not search for his son. He is not even worried that his son has been kidnapped. He rather asks the kidnappers to pay him money to take his son back. It shows that he is well aware of the wild and uncontrollable nature of his son.
Themes in The Ransom of Red Chief
Daydreaming vs Reality
This theme is highlighted in the short story ‘The Ransom of Red Chief’ that if we daydream about something. We want it to turn out the way we wish but the reality can be different as the kidnappers who dream of gaining two thousand dollars by kidnapping a child but the reality turns out to be different and they give away money instead of gaining.
Nothing is a sure thing
This story develops a twisted plot and an unexpected ending. The kidnappers are sure of their plan and they think that it will work out perfectly but at the end, the opposite thing happens.
Expect the unexpected
This story highlights the theme that Expectations are not always fulfilled. The kidnappers expect to gain money by kidnapping a child but the plan gets spoiled and they are compelled to give away some of their money.
Crime does not pay
The short story ‘The Ransom of Red Chief’ emphasizes the idea that unlawful means of gaining money is a bad thing and it may not pay us as expected. The two men decide to get money by kidnapping a child which is a crime. By doing so they lose their own money which means crime can cost you even more.
The Ransom of Red Chief Analysis
‘The Ransom of Red Chief’, the story of a kidnapping that went wrong, is an interesting piece of literature providing a good moral lesson at the end. It is a comedy full of ironies and unexpected events. It progresses in a light and humorous way.
It is narrated in the first-person narrative, one of its characters in the story being the narrator.
The story has a well-constructed plot and well-developed characters but they seem a little unnatural and exaggerated.
Firstly, the kidnappers who kidnap a little mischievous boy but cannot control him. Though they are so irritated and annoyed by him, they seem helpless and unable to handle him.
Secondly, the boy’s character is developed in an exaggerated way. He, unlike real kids, enjoys being kidnapped. He likes his kidnappers and does not want to go home. He calls himself ‘Red Chief’ and is totally in control of everything. He does not seem to be a victim rather the kidnappers seem to be the victims of his mischievousness.
Furthermore, Ebenezer Dorset’s character is also developed in an unexpected way. He is expected to be worried about his son but unlike fathers, in reality, his response to the kidnappers’ demand is very calm. His refusal to pay the ransom teaches a lesson to the kidnappers. This apparently unnatural response of him ruins all their plans and saves all the innocent people who might have suffered as a consequence of their other criminal activities.
The story progresses in a humorous way but it has an element of morality. The criminals who kidnap the child and plan to use the ransom money in a series of other illegal activities are served in the right way. The author has highlighted the point of ‘poetic justice’ in the story. The kidnappers are taught a lesson at the end when the reader expects them to get a ransom from Johnny’s father, a twist is observed. They are not paid any ransom for Johnny’s release rather they are forced to pay money to his father to get rid of him.
Genre
“The Ransom of Red Chief” is a comedy. Its attitude is humorous and it is fun to read the story.
Significance of the Title
The title “The Ransom of Red Chief” is significant in providing a clue to the reader about the plot. The title is in fact an irony. In the beginning of the story, the reader thinks that the kidnappers’ plan would be successful and they would get the ransom of the little boy in return for his release. But the reader gets astonished when the story closes. The ransom that the kidnappers want to release Johnny, they are compelled to pay it to his father, to get rid of the mischievous boy.
Setting of the Story
The short story ‘The Ransom of Red Chief’ is set in the town of Summit and a cave in a mountain in Alabama.
Conflict
Conflict is the opposition that a character in a story faces. It may be internal or external.
Internal Conflict
Internal conflict is when a character faces some tension within himself.
‘The Ransom of Red Chief’ has an internal conflict when the kidnappers are desperate to get money.
External Conflict
External conflict is when a character in a story fights some outside force.
In ‘The Ransom of Red Chief’ Johnny is that external force that keeps annoying the kidnappers.
Tone
The short story ‘The Ransom of Red Chief’ has a very light and funny tone. The reader enjoys the story as it progresses.
Symbolism
Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas and qualities in such a way that their symbolic meaning is different from their literary meaning.
The short story has the following symbols.
Red Hair
The victim of the kidnappers, Johnny Dorset is red-haired. Red hair is associated with wild nature. It shows that Johnny is uncontrollable and it is apparent from his red hair but this is not noticed by the kidnappers while taking him away.
King Herod
When Johnny keeps bothering and terrorizing Bill. He asks his fellow whether he knows who his favorite character is? And then he answers that his favorite character is a biblical figure, King Herod who heard of the prophecy about the birth of a Jew king so he ordered to kill all the children below two years of age.
King Herod is, in fact, a symbol for Bill’s increasing anger and frustration in response to Johnny’s mischievousness.
Red Chief
Johnny Dorset plays different games with Bill Driscoll. He calls himself the ‘Red Chief’ and calls Bill ‘Old Hank’, the captive. So the Red Chief is a symbol for ‘the one in control’ though the kidnappers consider Johnny as the captivated one. But in fact, it is Johnny who is really ‘in charge’ of controlling.
Literary Devices in The Ransom of Red Chief
Irony
Irony is a literary device in which what is expected is different from what actually happens.
The story ‘The Ransom of Red Chief’ is full of irony. The examples of irony in the story are as follows:
Dramatic Irony
Dramatic Irony is when the audience or readers know something but the character of the story does not know it.
Dramatic Irony in ‘The Ransom of Red Chief’ is when Bill takes Johnny back home and he does not know that Johnny is following him back to the cave while the reader knows it.
Verbal Irony
This is the type of irony in which the writer uses such words that say something different from what they actually mean.
‘Summit’, the name of the town is an example of verbal irony in this story. Summit actually means peak or the highest point in a mountain but in the story, it is used for a flat town.
Situational Irony
This type of irony is when the opposite of what is expected, happens.
Situational irony in the story is when Sam and Bill expect to get money as a ransom of the little boy but the opposite of it occurs.
Metaphor
A metaphor is when a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. It is the indirect comparison between two things.
There are many examples of metaphors in ‘The Ransom of Red Chief’. One of the examples is when Johnny tried to remove Bill’s scalp with a knife, Bill was extremely terrified as the narrator says “Bill’s spirit was broken.”
Simile
Simile is the direct comparison of two things. ‘The Ransom of Red Chief’ has many examples of simile. One example of simile is when Johnny plays with Bill. The narrator says that “Bill gets down on all his fours and a look comes in his eye like a rabbit’s when you catch it in a trap.”