The Ransom of Red Chief

Bill is the secondary protagonist and provides the brawn to Sam’s brains. He is Sam’s partner in crime, and he is willing to follow Sam through any criminal scheme or dangerous circumstance. He is described by Sam as “strong,” “fat,” and “desperate” (73). However, his primary character traits, which Sam fails to acknowledge, are compassion, passivity, and loyalty.

Bill, as Sam describes, is a large and strong man. He is able to hold onto Johnny, even as the boy fights against the man with all of his strength. At one point, Bill attempts to punish Johnny, and he boxes the boy’s ears. Other than that incident, Bill does not harm Johnny. Given the physical description of Bill, one can assume that Bill could overpower Johnny, yet he chooses to placate the child instead. Bill is compassionate. He cannot bring himself to hurt the child, even though Johnny is violent and unmanageable. Bill does make sarcastic threats of violence, such as asking Sam if he has “got a gun about” (75). However, Bill’s compassionate and passive personality would never allow him to harm a child.

Both loyalty and passivity drive Bill to stick with Sam. Bill is loyal to Sam, and he respects his partner as an authority figure. He trusts that Sam won’t lead him astray, and he shows he is willing to adapt when plans go awry. This trust wavers for a moment when Sam does not take Bill’s concerns about Johnny and the kidnapping plan seriously. When this happens, Bill’s passive nature keeps him linked to Sam. Just as Bill could physically stop Johnny, he could protect himself and leave Sam to deal with the failed plan on his own. Instead, he chooses to stick with his partner, obey most of his orders, and deal with the child until the bitter end of the scheme.

Johnny Dorset is the young antagonist. His archetype is ambiguous because O. Henry manipulates the concepts of right and wrong. In attacking Sam and Bill, the protagonists, Johnny functions as a violent, antagonistic force. However, despite his chaotic character, Johnny is the victim of neglect and kidnap.

Johnny is “a boy of ten, with bas-relief freckles” (71) and distinctive red hair. The first time Sam and Bill encounter Johnny, he is throwing rocks at a kitten, but he quickly turns his weapon against the strange men. He is quick-witted with strong instincts, and he is able to recognize dangerous men when he sees them, which is likely due to the example set by his father. Johnny’s games in the cave seem innocent enough at first, but before the sun rises on the following day, his violent nature emerges. He targets Bill as the weaker of the two criminals, and he takes advantage of Bill’s compassionate and passive nature. Meanwhile, he shows a modest amount of respect for Sam.

While Johnny is more directly portrayed as an antagonist in the story, O. Henry leaves subtle cues to demonstrate that Johnny is also a victim of his circumstances. First, Johnny’s father is introduced as an opportunistic financier. Dorset then not only refuses to pay the ransom for his son, but he suggests that he will not take his son back home unless someone pays him. Johnny’s experiences with neglectful parenting also arise after he knocks Bill unconscious with a rock. Sam admonishes the boy, and Johnny responds: “I was only funning […] I didn’t mean to hurt Old Hank. But what did he hit me for? I’ll behave, Snake-eye, if you won’t send me home, and if you’ll let me play the Black Scout to-day” (77). While Johnny could be manipulating the situation to his advantage, it is just as likely that he is unfamiliar with boundaries. His father is distant, and he may have been fostering Johnny’s cruel nature. Johnny is enjoying his time with the men, and he just wants to play, but he does not have the social skills to play appropriately.