“The Ransom of Red Chief” – O. Henry

 

Summary

 Two men kidnap a rich man’s son for ransom, but the boy is so wild and annoying that he drives them crazy. In the end, they have to pay the father to take his son back.

 

Characters:

 

Sam and Bill

Red Chief

 Mr. Ebenezer Dorset.

 

Plot Elements:

 

Exposition - Sam and Bill plan to kidnap a rich man’s son to get money. They think it will be easy.

 

Rising Action - They take the boy to a cave, but he turns out to be crazy and wild. He plays rough games, hurts them, and won’t stop talking.

 

Climax - The boy becomes such a nightmare that the kidnappers can’t handle him anymore.

 

Resolution - The father says he’ll only take his son back if they pay him $250. The kidnappers agree and run away fast!

 

Analysis

 

The story is funny because the kidnappers’ plan completely fails. It teaches that greedy plans can backfire.

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