The Ransom of Red Chief (Henry): Difference between revisions

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The Ransom of Red Chief

1907

Summary of the Short Story

Microsummary: Two kidnappers abducted a wealthy man's son, but the boy's wild behavior and antics led them to return him and pay the father for taking him back.

Two men, Bill Driscoll and his partner, were in Alabama when they decided to kidnap a young boy for ransom. They chose the only child of a prominent citizen named Ebenezer Dorset, a ten-year-old boy with red hair and freckles.

🧔🏻

Sam — narrator; one of the kidnappers; more patient with the boy.

👨🏻

Bill Driscoll — another kidnapper; easily annoyed and tormented by the boy.

👦🏼

Johnny Dorset (Red Chief) — kidnapped boy; imaginative, mischievous, and wild.

👨🏻‍💼

Ebenezer Dorset — Johnny's father; wealthy, stern, and shrewd.

They took the boy to a cave on a mountain, where they planned to keep him until they received the ransom money. However, the boy turned out to be more than they bargained for. He was wild and uncontrollable, constantly causing trouble for his captors. Despite their best efforts to keep him entertained and under control, the boy continued to make life difficult for the two men.

I never had such fun in all my life.

Eventually, they decided to send a ransom note to the boy's father, demanding $1,500 for his safe return.

We demand fifteen hundred dollars in large bills for his return; the money to be left at midnight to-night at the same spot and in the same box as your reply.

They received a surprising response from the father, who counter-offered that they return the boy and pay him $250 instead.

You bring Johnny home and pay me two hundred and fifty dollars in cash, and I agree to take him off your hands.

Desperate to be rid of the troublesome child, the men agreed to the deal. They returned the boy to his father's house at midnight, where they paid the father the agreed-upon sum. The boy was reluctant to leave his captors, having enjoyed his time with them, but his father managed to pry him away. The two men then made their escape, with Bill running as fast as he could to put as much distance between himself and the boy as possible.

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 | Literary form = short story
 | Year of publication = 1907
-| Microsummary = Two men kidnapped a boy, hoping to receive a ransom from his father. However, the boy proved to be troublesome, and the father demanded they pay him to take the child back.
+| Microsummary = Two kidnappers abducted a wealthy man's son, but the boy's wild behavior and antics led them to return him and pay the father for taking him back.
-| Wikisource = The Ransom of Red Chief
 }}
 {{Start of text}}
-In a small town in Alabama, two men named Sam and Bill decided to kidnap a boy named Johnny to demand a ransom of $2,000 from his father, Ebenezer Dorset.
+Two men, Bill Driscoll and his partner, were in Alabama when they decided to kidnap a young boy for ransom. They chose the only child of a prominent citizen named Ebenezer Dorset, a ten-year-old boy with red hair and freckles.
 {{Character
 | Name = Sam
-| Description = narrator; one of the kidnappers; Bill's partner in crime; cunning, resourceful, and patient
+| Description = narrator; one of the kidnappers; more patient with the boy
-| Emoji = 👨🏻‍🦱
+| Emoji = 🧔🏻
 }}
 {{Character
 | Name = Bill Driscoll
-| Description = kidnapper; Sam's partner in crime; fat, strong, easily frustrated, and terrorized by Johnny
+| Description = another kidnapper; easily annoyed and tormented by the boy
-| Emoji = 🧑🏻‍🦰
+| Emoji = 👨🏻
 }}
-They believed that the town would not be able to put up much of a fight against them, and that the father would be willing to pay the ransom to get his son back. They chose Johnny because he was the only child of a prominent citizen, and they thought his father would be more likely to pay the ransom.
 {{Character
 | Name = Johnny Dorset (Red Chief)
-| Description = kidnapped boy; 10 years old; freckled, red-haired, imaginative, mischievous, and troublesome
+| Description = kidnapped boy; imaginative, mischievous, and wild
 | Emoji = 👦🏼
 }}
-Sam and Bill took Johnny to a cave in a nearby mountain, where they planned to keep him until the ransom was paid. However, Johnny turned out to be a handful, causing the kidnappers much trouble and frustration. He was imaginative and mischievous, constantly playing games and causing problems for the kidnappers. He even tried to scalp Bill with a knife, which left Bill terrified of the boy.
+{{Character
+| Name = Ebenezer Dorset
+| Description = Johnny's father; wealthy, stern, and shrewd
+| Emoji = 👨🏻‍💼
+}}
+They took the boy to a cave on a mountain, where they planned to keep him until they received the ransom money. However, the boy turned out to be more than they bargained for. He was wild and uncontrollable, constantly causing trouble for his captors. Despite their best efforts to keep him entertained and under control, the boy continued to make life difficult for the two men.
-{{Quote|
+{{Quote
-'Hey, little boy!' says Bill, 'would you like to have a bag of candy and a nice ride?'
+| Text = I never had such fun in all my life.
+| Context = This quote is from Johnny, also known as Red Chief, when he is talking to Sam about how much he enjoys being kidnapped and playing games with the kidnappers. It occurs during their first night in the cave.
 }}
-Despite the difficulties they faced with Johnny, Sam and Bill sent a letter to Ebenezer Dorset demanding the ransom. They instructed him to leave the money in a specific location and warned him not to involve the authorities. However, when they received a response from the father, he counter-offered that the kidnappers pay him $250 to take the boy back.
+Eventually, they decided to send a ransom note to the boy's father, demanding $1,500 for his safe return.
-{{Character
+{{Quote
-| Name = Ebenezer Dorset
+| Text = We demand fifteen hundred dollars in large bills for his return; the money to be left at midnight to-night at the same spot and in the same box as your reply.
-| Description = Johnny's father; respectable, tight, and stern; a mortgage fancier and collection-plate passer
+| Context = This quote is from the ransom letter that Sam and Bill wrote to Ebenezer Dorset, demanding money for the return of his son. It occurs after they have kidnapped Johnny and are discussing their plan.
-| Emoji = 👨🏻‍🦳
 }}
-{{Quote|
+They received a surprising response from the father, who counter-offered that they return the boy and pay him $250 instead.
-'You bring Johnny home and pay me two hundred and fifty dollars in cash, and I agree to take him off your hands.'
+{{Quote
+| Text = You bring Johnny home and pay me two hundred and fifty dollars in cash, and I agree to take him off your hands.
+| Context = This quote is from Ebenezer Dorset's response to the ransom letter, in which he counteroffers that the kidnappers should pay him to take his son back. It occurs after Sam retrieves the letter from the designated drop-off location.
 }}
-Desperate to be rid of the troublesome child, Sam and Bill agreed to the father's terms. They returned Johnny to his home and paid Ebenezer Dorset the $250. As they left, Johnny clung to Bill, not wanting to leave his captors. Ebenezer had to peel his son away from Bill, promising to hold him for ten minutes so the kidnappers could make their escape.
+Desperate to be rid of the troublesome child, the men agreed to the deal. They returned the boy to his father's house at midnight, where they paid the father the agreed-upon sum. The boy was reluctant to leave his captors, having enjoyed his time with them, but his father managed to pry him away. The two men then made their escape, with Bill running as fast as he could to put as much distance between himself and the boy as possible.
-Sam and Bill fled the town, with Bill running as fast as he could to put as much distance between himself and Johnny as possible. In the end, the kidnappers not only failed to get the ransom they had hoped for, but they also ended up paying the father to take his own son back.
 {{End of text}}