The kidnappers, eager to rid themselves of this liability/threat to their life, soon plan to reach out to Mr. The role playing, fun for the boy, is a disaster for the kidnappers. When not terrorizing Bill and Sam, he frustrates them with his constant chatter and relentless and mostly unreasonable demands and pranks – a couple of which are to ride on Bill as if he was a horse, for 90 miles no less and scalping Bill for real, pulling his hair out with all his might. The first role he plays is of the Red Chief, the terror of the plains, unleashing the terror, true to its name.

It does not take long for the boy’s role-playing and demands to surface. Instead of being scared, the boy enjoys the company of his kidnappers. Kidnappers and the boy reach their hideout soon after, and that’s when the early signs of the plan’s unraveling are seen. The execution of the scheme is even simpler than the kidnapping plan – Bill and Sam, in their buggy, entice the boy with a promise of a bag of candies and a nice ride. The boy’s father is Ebenezer Dorset, a respectable mortgage fancier and forecloser. Their scheme to make a quick buck is simple – kidnapping a wealthy man’s kid and demanding ransom for his release. A scheme, in the making, by two small-time criminals – Sam, the mastermind, also the narrator of the story, and Bill, his accomplice. Ransom of the Red Chief: Summary and Plot Analysis The answer will come to you in the form of Ransom of the Red Chief, a short story by celebrated American author William Sidney Porter, commonly known as O.Henry.įirst published in Saturday Evening Post in 1907, this story captures, in its very essence, a kidnapping gone awry. What comes to mind when you read this? Hot air balloons? Spaceships? Science fiction? In 10 minutes, I shall cross the central, southern, and middle western states and be legging it trippingly for the Canadian border.

The ransom of red chief short story