Skip to main content

In "The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry, how does Ebenezer Dorset know Johnny is giving the kidnappers a hard time?

Johnny's father Ebenezer knows his son Red Chief must be giving the kidnappers a bad time because he knows the boy is a hellion. Ebeneezer shows this in his reply to the ransom note, in which he writes:


You bring Johnny home and pay me two hundred and fifty dollars, and I agree to take him off your hands. You had better come at night because the neighbors believe he is lost. And, I could...

Johnny's father Ebenezer knows his son Red Chief must be giving the kidnappers a bad time because he knows the boy is a hellion. Ebeneezer shows this in his reply to the ransom note, in which he writes:



You bring Johnny home and pay me two hundred and fifty dollars, and I agree to take him off your hands. You had better come at night because the neighbors believe he is lost. And, I could not be responsible for what they would do to anybody they saw bringing him back.



When the two kidnappers return the boy to his father that night, Bill asks how long Ebenezer thinks he can hold his son while they make their getaway.



"I'm not as strong as I used to be," says old Dorset, "but I think I can promise you ten minutes."



Ebenezer Dorset seems to feel some compassion for Bill and Sam because he knows what they must have been going through. He has been having the same problems with Red Chief for years. As a result, he has become a patient, philosophical man, as one might expect when meeting the parent of a boy like Johnny, who is always causing trouble and who never seems to run out of energy. Ebenezer shows no ill will towards the two kidnappers. It seems he believes they received the punishment they deserved.


It is unclear why Ebenezer thinks he is entitled to collect $250 for taking his own son off the kidnappers' hands. Evidently, it is a question of the son's value. Bill and Sam estimate that the boy is worth $1500 to the father, but the father's insistence on receiving $250 implies he does not value his son and instead sees him as a burden. Ebenezer knew the kidnappers have no way of getting rid of Red Chief unless he agreed to take him back.

Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more

How did the United States become an imperial power?

"Imperial power" is a bit of a vague label. It tends to mean several things at once, so let's unpack it. In the sense of "this country was built on conquest by force," the "imperial power" part of America actually predates the United States proper. The territories that would become the United States were imperial colonies, established by the great European empires of the 17th and 18th centuries. Much of the US Constitution and American governance generally goes back to England, history's largest and most successful imperial power, but vital aspects of American culture come from other imperial powers, such as France and Spain. Much of American culture comes from sources other than the old empires, but they were key influences on what the United States became. In the sense of "this country treats conquest by force as a fundamental component of its culture, economy and politics," the United States has always been an imperial power. Even earl...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more