The Ransom of Red Chief

“The Ransom of Red Chief” is an ironic short story, meaning that the characters behave in unexpected ways, and the plot unfolds in a surprising manner. Sam and Bill are introduced as career criminals who plan and execute a kidnapping scheme to make some fast cash. Although criminals are typically framed as antagonists, O. Henry presents his hapless criminal duo as the protagonists. Meanwhile, Ebenezer Dorset, who is a victim of their crime, is revealed as the true antagonist. Dorset’s wily 10-year-old son, Johnny, is also depicted as an antagonist.

Through the subversion of character roles, O. Henry thematically develops Cruelty and Violence. After kidnapping Johnny, Sam and Bill become hostages of Johnny’s excessive violence. Bill takes the brunt of Johnny’s cruelty. It is Bill who grabs Johnny during the abduction, and Johnny fights hard against his assailant, leaving “scratches and bruises” (72). Before sunrise the following morning, Johnny awakens Bill and pretends to scalp him with a knife. Bill makes one attempt to discipline Johnny for his abusive behavior by boxing the boy’s ears—a common form of discipline for the period. In return, Bill is knocked unconscious and falls into the fire when Johnny slings a large rock at his head.

Rather than resenting Johnny or retaliating against him, Bill continues to play with the child, albeit begrudgingly. By this point, Bill’s characterization has shifted from a detestable kidnapper to comedically pitiable. This sense of pity hits a peak when Bill realizes the child has followed him back to the cave after he tries to take Johnny back home. The sight of the unwanted boy deflates Bill: “[He] loses his complexion and sits down plump on the round and begins to pluck aimlessly at grass” (77). Bill is exhausted and defeated, yet he does not hold it against Johnny. Instead, he smiles meekly and says that he will keep playing with Johnny when he feels better.

Johnny’s reaction to being kidnapped goes against all expectations. Initially, he fights against his captors. However, when he gets to the cave, Johnny’s feelings change as he realizes that he is not in danger. During his first night as a hostage, Johnny decides that he would rather stay in the cave as “Red Chief” with the kidnappers. When Sam asks if he wants to go home, Johnny says that he does not, and he asks Sam, “You won’t take me back home again, Snake-eye, will you?” (72). Johnny refuses to stay home when Bill delivers him to his front lawn, and he follows Bill back up the mountain. As a kidnapped child, Johnny should want to go home, but this is not the case. Instead, he is desperate to stay with Sam and Bill. The career criminals and their cave in the mountains are more appealing than his life at home.

Johnny’s reluctance to go home parallels Sam and Bill’s desperation and thematically develops Desperation for Freedom. Johnny’s motivations are better understood after his father responds to the ransom note. Dorset writes to the “Two Desperate Men” and refuses to pay the ransom. He turns the tables and requests money from the con men before he will take his son back. Dorset’s response is an example of situational irony in that the events do not occur as expected. Instead of playing the role of the stereotypical distraught parent, he dismisses the ransom and comedically makes one of his own. In this way, Dorset functions as an antagonist to Sam and Bill. Similarly, Johnny subverts the role of the stereotypical child and surfaces as another antagonist to the criminal duo. Johnny has learned how to take advantage of people by watching his father. As such, Johnny recognizes Bill as someone who is vulnerable and easy to manipulate. Although he directs his cruelty toward Bill, Johnny also manipulates Sam. He puts on a façade of innocence when he talks with Sam. Even after he knocks Bill unconscious, Johnny acts as if he did not know what he was doing. He uses his status to continue abusing and dehumanizing Bill.

Through his use of irony and a humorous tone, O. Henry presents a deeper social commentary on Morality and Greed. Rather than speaking out about stereotypical criminals, O. Henry points the finger of blame at the law-abiding Dorset. Dorset has a high standing in Summit due to his career as a “mortgage financier.” He regularly attends church, and he is the father of a young boy. Dorset should be a victim, but he is a dark figure in the story. Dorset’s character is symbolic of the relationship between wealth and corruption. This concept is supported further by examining Sam and Bill’s life of crime through a more empathetic lens. It is easy to make negative assumptions of Sam and Bill because they are career criminals. They invent a kidnapping scheme to get money that they will turn around and use to commit larger crimes in another region. Without access to their backstory, it is impossible to judge why the men have pursued a life of crime. In a capitalist society, money means freedom. Sam and Bill also acknowledge their desperation. They may have experienced hardships in their pasts, and they were driven to commit illegal activities to acquire money and freedom.

Although Sam and Bill are criminals, they retain their morality. When they kidnap Johnny, they have no intent to harm the child, regardless of Johnny’s violence. Rather, they seek to gain money from a rich man. They make the incorrect assumption that “old Dorset” has a sense of morality. They are certain that, even if Dorset is an opportunistic financier, he will part with a relatively low sum to ensure his child’s safety. However, Dorset is corrupted by money and greed, and he values his wealth more than he values the safety of his child. O. Henry uses Dorset to show the corruption that often accompanies ill-gotten wealth.