{"id":128533,"date":"2021-12-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nursingstudybay.com\/2021\/12\/20\/summary-about-the-ransom-of-red-chief-essay\/"},"modified":"2021-12-20T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-12-20T00:00:00","slug":"summary-about-the-ransom-of-red-chief-essay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/summary-about-the-ransom-of-red-chief-essay\/","title":{"rendered":"Summary about The Ransom Of Red Chief Essay"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cThe Ransom of\u00a0Red Chief\u201d is\u00a0a\u00a0short story written by\u00a0American writer William Sydney Porter, better known as\u00a0O.\u00a0Henry. Like many of\u00a0O.\u00a0Henry\u2019s works, the story is\u00a0notable for its plays on\u00a0words, humor, and plot twist. Written around the turn of\u00a0the 20th century, the story is\u00a0a\u00a0short rendition of\u00a0what you might get if\u00a0you crossed \u201cHome Alone\u201d with \u201cO\u00a0Brother Where Art Thou?\u201d It\u00a0makes for a\u00a0diverting 5-10 minutes that will bring at\u00a0least one smile to\u00a0your face while reading and perhaps a\u00a0couple chuckles.<\/p>\n

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Book Summary<\/h3>\n

The story takes place in\u00a0rural Alabama. Two crooks, Bill Driscoll and Sam (we\u00a0never learn his last name) have about $600 between the two of\u00a0them and figure they need another $2000 to\u00a0pull off a\u00a0\u201cfraudulent town-lot scheme.\u201d And by\u00a0the way, you learn in\u00a0the first paragraph of\u00a0the story that these two fellows are the self-educated type who think that using big words makes them smart.<\/p>\n

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They have it\u00a0all figured out. Except for the fact that the words they use are wrong or\u00a0made\u00a0up, accounting for the humor of\u00a0the undereducated ne\u2019er-do-well who thinks he\u00a0has a\u00a0plan.<\/p>\n

So\u00a0Bill and Sam decide that in\u00a0order to\u00a0get their money, they\u2019ll kidnap a\u00a0child from a\u00a0prominent member of\u00a0a\u00a0small town and thus select little Johnny Dorset, a\u00a0boy of\u00a0nine and the only child of\u00a0Ebenezer Dorset, a\u00a0\u201cmortgage fancier.\u201d The trouble starts from the get-go when they call out to\u00a0Johnny to\u00a0tempt him to\u00a0the car. Johnny throws a\u00a0piece of\u00a0brick and hits Bill in\u00a0the eye. The two get out of\u00a0the car and grab Johnny, who puts up\u00a0a\u00a0struggle before they get him in\u00a0the car and drive out to\u00a0a\u00a0cave in\u00a0the hills. Sam goes to\u00a0return the car, and when he\u00a0returns he\u00a0finds Johnny has become Red Chief\u00a0\u2014 and Bill has bruises on\u00a0his legs.<\/p>\n

Life over the next day doesn\u2019t get any better for Bill as\u00a0little Johnny, who hates school, doesn\u2019t like girls, and is\u00a0generally a\u00a0little terror, finds the idea of\u00a0camping out to\u00a0be\u00a0great fun and indulges his sadistic imagination on\u00a0his captors, nearly scalping Bill the next morning, shoving a\u00a0red hot potato down his shirt and smashing it\u00a0with his foot, and riding Bill like a\u00a0horse. It\u2019s enough to\u00a0make Bill announce that his favorite Biblical character is\u00a0King Herod (who had all the young boys put to\u00a0death around the time of\u00a0the birth of\u00a0Jesus). And even Sam threatens the boy with taking him back home if\u00a0he\u00a0doesn\u2019t behave.<\/p>\n

Sam and Bill then draw up\u00a0their ransom letter and have it\u00a0delivered to\u00a0Ebenezer Dorset demanding $1500 (Bill insists that no\u00a0one will pay $2000 to\u00a0have Johnny returned). Mr. Dorset responds with a\u00a0letter of\u00a0his own telling \u201cTwo Desperate Men\u201d that for $250\u00a0he will accept Johnny back, but that they better do\u00a0it\u00a0at\u00a0night as\u00a0the neighbors believe Johnny is\u00a0gone for good and he\u00a0can\u2019t be\u00a0held responsible for how they\u2019ll act if\u00a0they see him being returned.<\/p>\n

Bill begs, and Sam relents. So\u00a0that night, they take Johnny home. Johnny grabs Bill\u2019s leg, holding on\u00a0for dear life so\u00a0he\u00a0isn\u2019t returned home. Johnny\u2019s dad pries him off. Bill asks how long he\u00a0can hold Johnny, to\u00a0which Ebenezer replies he\u2019s not as\u00a0strong as\u00a0he\u00a0used to\u00a0be, so\u00a0maybe ten minutes, to\u00a0which Bill replies that by\u00a0then he\u00a0should be\u00a0close to\u00a0Canada, and takes off running.<\/p>\n

To\u00a0be\u00a0best appreciated, the story should be\u00a0read. It\u00a0can be\u00a0found online in\u00a0a\u00a0number of\u00a0places (the copyright has expired in\u00a0the United States), and enjoyed in\u00a0a\u00a0few minutes. It\u00a0crosses the line between reality and fancy, but it\u2019s easy enough to\u00a0suspend any notion of\u00a0disbelief long enough to\u00a0enjoy the story. If\u00a0you have 5-10 minutes to\u00a0spare for a\u00a0fun story, give this a\u00a0shot. And then you can read some of\u00a0O.\u00a0Henry\u2019s other stories, many of\u00a0which are also funny and have the twisted plot endings that have become common in\u00a0today\u2019s humor.<\/p>\n

Analysis of the Book<\/h3>\n

\u201cThe Ransom of\u00a0Red Chief\u201d is\u00a0not simply a\u00a0story in\u00a0the O.\u00a0Henry tradition of\u00a0surprise endings; it\u00a0is\u00a0also a\u00a0story in\u00a0the pattern of\u00a0classical comedy, which assures the reader that sometimes in\u00a0this world the underdog can win. Generally, however, slaves or\u00a0servants, wives or\u00a0lovers, have prevailed by\u00a0outwitting their masters. In\u00a0\u201cThe Ransom of\u00a0Red Chief,\u201d the kidnappers are defeated not by\u00a0any scheme devised by\u00a0Johnny but simply by\u00a0his nature. Johnny\u00a0is, himself, the ultimate ten-year-old terror, certainly worse than most small boys his age but not so\u00a0unlike them as\u00a0to\u00a0be\u00a0a\u00a0monster. Part of\u00a0the humor of\u00a0the story comes from Johnny\u2019s relationship to\u00a0the generic ten-year-old boy. Like the generic boy, he\u00a0asks questions, rambles, fantasizes, and enlists playmates.<\/p>\n

While Sam and Bill could have coped with the average ten-year-old, they are helpless in\u00a0Johnny\u2019s hands because Johnny is\u00a0not average. He\u00a0is\u00a0tougher, meaner, and wilder than the ten-year-old whom these street-smart criminals thought they were victimizing. A\u00a0second element in\u00a0the underdog theme involves the city and the country. The sophisticated con men, Sam and Bill, select Summit, Alabama, for the scene of\u00a0their crime because they think that the country bumpkins will be\u00a0easy to\u00a0fool: their law officers inept, their bloodhounds lazy, and their weekly rural newspapers ineffectual. Sam\u2019s visit to\u00a0the bewhiskered, tobacco-chewing citizens of\u00a0Poplar Grove is\u00a0related with unconcealed\u2026 Related to\u00a0technique<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Ransom of\u00a0Red Chief\u201d derives from the tall tale so\u00a0familiar in\u00a0American humor. Ordinarily, the tall tale answers a\u00a0question: \u201cHow big was the\u00a0ox?\u201d \u201cHow slow was the horse?\u201d In\u00a0this story, the question\u00a0is, \u201cHow bad was the ten-year-old boy?\u201d Thus, the tall tale simply exaggerates reality; in\u00a0this case, the reality is\u00a0the average ten-year-old boy, and the exaggeration is\u00a0Johnny Dorset.<\/p>\n

The narrative technique of\u00a0the story is\u00a0also reminiscent of\u00a0the tall-tale tradition. Sam, the leading con man, speaks in\u00a0the first person, as\u00a0if\u00a0relating his story to\u00a0an\u00a0audience: \u201cWait till\u00a0I tell you,\u201d \u201cYes, sir, that boy seemed to\u00a0be\u00a0having the time of\u00a0his life.\u201d He\u00a0is\u00a0given to\u00a0malapropisms, such as\u00a0\u201cphiloprogenitoveness,\u201d and to\u00a0literary words, such as\u00a0\u201csylvan\u201d and \u201cdastardly,\u201d which suggest that he\u00a0is\u00a0overreaching his real capacities, as\u00a0he\u00a0does in\u00a0the story. However, both Sam and Bill can use the language of\u00a0frontier America, too, comparing Johnny to\u00a0a\u00a0\u201cwelter-weight cinnamon bear\u201d or\u00a0a\u00a0\u201ctwo-legged skyrocket\u201d when they choose to\u00a0exaggerate, saying that Johnny has \u201csomewhat got on\u00a0my\u00a0nerves,\u201d in\u00a0a\u00a0comic understatement. Nor is\u00a0the story without its scenes of\u00a0comic pathos, all related by\u00a0Sam, as\u00a0when Bill apologizes for releasing Johnny, then turns to\u00a0find the boy behind him and seems for a\u00a0time to\u00a0be\u00a0losing his sanity. It\u00a0is\u00a0Sam who describes Bill\u2019s pleas, which finally result in\u00a0a\u00a0\u201cgetaway\u201d.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Title<\/th>\nThe Ransom of Red Chief<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Written by<\/th>\nO. Henry<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Type of Writing<\/th>\nShort story<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Genre<\/th>\nComedy <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
First Published<\/th>\n1907<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Country<\/th>\nUS<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Main Topic<\/th>\nUSA humorous failed attempt of two criminals to get ransom for a kidnapped boy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Setting<\/th>\nSummit, a small town of early XX century Alabama<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Main Characters<\/th>\nJonny the \u201cRed Chief\u201d, Sam and Bill Driscoll, Ebenezer Dorset <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe Ransom of\u00a0Red Chief\u201d is\u00a0a\u00a0short story written by\u00a0American writer William Sydney Porter, better known as\u00a0O.\u00a0Henry. Like many of\u00a0O.\u00a0Henry\u2019s works, the story is\u00a0notable for its plays\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7641,8827,10535,10533,10534,10531,10529,6744,10532,10530,7741],"tags":[10553,10549,10616,10615,7687,10254,10627,10104,10247,8857,10552,10295,10900,2984,3903,10548,10622,8901,10551,8907],"class_list":["post-128533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-australia-essay-writers","category-australia-essays","category-do-my-university-assignment-for-me","category-essay-pro-dissertation-writers","category-homework-help-services-best-websites","category-i-need-help-writing-a-page-paper-assignment","category-masters-essays","category-nursing-studybay","category-pay-someone-to-write-a-paper-for-you","category-website-that-writes-assignments","category-studybay","tag-1-assignment-help-online-service-for-students-in-the-usa","tag-ai-plagiarism-free-essay-writing-tool","tag-australian-best-tutors","tag-best-trans-tutors","tag-buy-essay-uk","tag-can-someone-write-my-assignment-for-me","tag-cheap-dissertation-writer","tag-essypro","tag-help-me-write-my-dissertation","tag-help-with-writing-an-essay","tag-help-write-my-paper-ai-free","tag-homework-for-you","tag-nursing-bay","tag-nursing-essay","tag-nursing-study-bay","tag-online-essay-writers","tag-phd-essays","tag-studbay","tag-write-my-assignment-help-for-college-students","tag-write-my-essay-for-me"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128533"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128533\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}