29 pages • 58 minutes read
O. HenryThe Ransom of Red Chief
Fiction | Short Story | YA | Published in 1907A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Literary Devices
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which the author hints toward later plot events. O. Henry uses blatant remarks that foreshadow both Johnny’s violent personality and the ironic ending of the story.
The first line of the story foreshadows the twists before the actual plot is introduced to the reader: “It looked like a good thing: but wait till I tell you” (71). The blatant foreshadowing of the ironic plot twists also enhances the humorous mood of the story. Sam’s use of the line “but wait till I tell you,” which appears in the first and the fourth paragraph, is intended to create a sense of amusement, as if the narrator is about to share some interesting gossip.
Johnny’s violent nature and his emotionally-distant relationship with his father are foreshadowed during the kidnapping scene. When the men come to take Johnny, he is alone at night, suggesting that his father does not have strict boundaries for the child. Further, he is throwing rocks at a helpless kitten. O. Henry portrays Johnny as violent and unempathetic, which foreshadows his later cruelty toward Bill.
Simile and Metaphor
Similes and metaphors are literary comparisons used to enhance a story by providing unique and unexpected descriptions of details. A metaphor makes a direct comparison, while a simile uses the connecting words “like” or “as.”
Sam uses metaphor to characterize Johnny: “that forty-pound chunk of freckled wildcat” (76). The metaphor acts as imagery, helping the reader to form a mental picture of Johnny, who is about 40 pounds with freckles. It also serves to characterize Johnny as feral and vicious.
O. Henry makes consistent use of similes to enhance the characterization and imagery, as well as to develop the humorous tone in “The Ransom of Red Chief.”
Similes in the story include:
- “flat as a funnel cake” (71)
- “put up a fight like a welter-weight cinnamon bear” (71)
- “a kind of sigh from Bill, like a horse gives when you take his saddle off” (75)
- “and a look comes in his eye like a rabbit’s when you catch it in a trap (77)
- “fastened himself as tight as a leech to Bill’s leg” (81)
Each simile is intended to provide rich narrative details via a humorous tone.
Allusion
Allusions are references to external concepts, such as other works of literature, places, or people. O. Henry uses two explicit allusions in the story.
When Sam reads the proposition from Dorset, he exclaims, “Great pirates of Penzance!” (81). “Pirates of Penzance” is a comedic opera that was popular in the mid- to late-1800s. The opera, similar to “The Ransom of Red Chief,” contains plot twists and plays with the moral concepts of good and evil. Further, this reference also alludes to the concept of Johnny as a figurative orphan, as the pirates in the opera are orphans. Sam makes the remark upon learning that Dorset is unwilling to pay for his son’s return.
The story also contains direct allusions to Christianity and the Bible. In a conversation with Sam, Bill reveals that his favorite character from the Bible is King Herod. King Herod was a Biblical antagonist who called for the murder of all the infants in Bethlehem in an effort to exterminate Jesus. The remark is meant as a semi-serious jest. Bill relates with the idea of going to extreme measures to rid himself of a problem child. However, given Bill’s passive and accommodating nature, he would never harm Johnny or any other child.
Satire
O. Henry employs the use of satire to force the reader to question their morality, including notions of empathy and of right and wrong. The most striking example of this is in the initial characterization of Ebenezer Dorset.
Sam and Bill target Dorset because he is one of the richest men in Summit. He is a mortgage financier and a hypocrite. He touts himself as a good Christian, regularly attending church and contributing to the collection plate offerings. Meanwhile, he has no scruples against repossessing the homes of individuals who cannot afford to pay their mortgages. Dorset is just as cold toward his son after he refuses to pay the ransom. Instead of prioritizing his son’s safety, he asks the kidnappers for money before he will take the child back. This satirical depiction of the corrupt wealthy taking advantage of the poor is a common theme in many of O. Henry’s short stories. In “The Ransom of Red Chief,” it serves to generate sympathy for the hapless criminals.
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