'The Ransom of Red Chief', analyse af O. Henrys novelle

The ransom of red chiefTitle: The Ransom of red chief Author: O. Henry Publication date: 1910Media type: Short story Genre: Comedy The ransom of red chief, is really ironic. The beginning of the story says “It looked like a good thing, but wait till I tell you” - you can really hear the ironic in this sentence. Sam and Bill Driscoll is two men, looking for money. The two men planned to kidnap a ten year old boy named Johnny Dorset. The meaning of “The ransom of red Chief” is that “red” symbolizes anger and evilness which describes Johnny’s actions. And “ransom” is the money they want to get. The ironic plays the key role in this story. You expect that any parent would do anything to get their child back, but not in this story. Their child Johnny is so annoying that they don’t want to pay the ransom. Instead charging two hundred and fifty dollars to take him off of Bill and Sam’s care. The theme, they end up loosing all the money and failed the kidnapping. Sam is the one telling the story. Sam and Bill are partners. They kidnap a boy, because they need money. Sam seems very clever but also greedy. Sam wants to get as much money he could, for the boy, but against Bill’s doubts. Johnny Ebenezer Dorset, is the abducted child. Johnny is ten years old, and has a lot of freckles. He is called “The red Chief “Johnny looks like a child, who could give Bill and Sam a large sum. But Bill and Sam finds out that Johnny is just a brat no one cares about. Johnny is the reason why its hard to get the money. Bill Driscoll seems like a fat man according to Sam. Bill is in the middle age. Bill is the one watching over Johnny. Bill seems logical by saying “ we are dealing with humans, and it aint human for anybody to give up two thousand dollars for that forty-pound chunk of freckled wildcat “ Ebenezer Dorset is Johnny’s father. He doesn’t care about his son Johnny. He says in the letter “I think you are a little high in your demands, and I hereby make you a counter-proposition, which I am inclined to believe you will accept. You bring Johnny home and pay me two hundred and fifty dollars in cash, and I agree to take him off your hands “