The Ransom of Red Chief

                                                         The Ransom of Red Chief

                                                                     By: O. Henry

Summary-

The two kidnappers kidnap Johnny, and will be held for ransom. But, little do these poor kidnappers know, that they are the ones in trouble. Johnny spends his entire time with them tormenting them, that they decide to return him to his father, but the father wants money to take back his own son. They pay him and run away.

Characters-

Two of the kidnappers, Sam and Bill, are kidnappers, who wish to kidnap Johnny. They seem to pretend to be smart, even though they are not, and they also seem to be quite patient and kind. They seem to be patient because they did not hurt or abuse Johnny, even though Johnny was abusing them. They seem to be kind for the same reason. They do however seem to be greedy, shown at the beginning of the short story, but at the end it seems that they are not.

Johnny is the type of kid teachers hate. Johnny seems to enjoy tormenting people, and shows no fear of the danger that may fall upon him or the target. He also seems to be quite a bad son, showing that his father does not want him back, unless the kidnappers pay him.

Last, Ebenezer Dorsett is Johnny’s father, and seems to not care about his son, and cares more about money.

Plot Elements-

The exposition in the short story would be when Bill and Sam thought up the idea of kidnapping someone for money.

The rising action in the short story would be when the kidnappers actually kidnap Johnny.

The climax in the short story would be when the kidnappers are done with Johnny because of his mischievous ways, and decide to give him back to his father. But, the father will only accept him back if the kidnappers pay him.

The resolution in the short story would be when the kidnappers pay Ebenezer his money to take Johnny back.

My honest feelings for the short story-

I truly enjoyed this story, and found a new author that I enjoy. I loved how O. Henry used irony as his main point in the story, and how he showed many interesting and funny things throughout the story. This truly was enjoyable. I believe the moral, if it actually had any, would be never kidnap, but in reality this would most likely never happen.

I would describe this story in one word. hahahahahaaahahahahahaha