Use Of Irony In The Ransom Of Red Chief

Would you ever expect a kidnapper to actually want to get rid of the kid? Better yet, would you expect the captivated child to enjoy his own kidnapping experience? Well, in the tall tale “The Ransom of Red Chief” by O. Henry, a typical kidnapping encounter is completely reversed. Bill and Sam are “two desperate men” (O. Henry 7) that will do anything to get money to rent a new place to live in, even if that means kidnapping Johnny Dorset, a ten-year-old boy, and asking his wealthy father, Ebenezer Dorset, for a ransom in exchange for his son. In this high comedy piece, O. Henry uses irony and comic situations to convey the idea that all choices have a consequence that follows.

Irony is when an unexpected event turns into the reality of the situation. After Bill and Sam finally manage to bring Johnny to the hideout spot, Johnny suddenly begins to enjoy this usually terrifying situation, causing him to be the source of fear and “...[having] Bill terrorized from the start” (O. Henry 3). How strange is it that a kidnapper is afraid of the kid that he

Bill, unfortunately, was always the one to suffer through one of Johnny’s games and schemes like Indian, Black Scout, and more. One time, Johnny, while playing with Bill “‘...put a red-hot boiled potato down [Bill’s] back… and then mashed it with his foot…’” (O. Henry 5). Then, when Sam left to send his letter for a ransom, Bill was left alone with Red Chief, who later made him transport him on horseback “...ninety miles to the stockade, not barring an inch…” (O. Henry 9). To put even more emphasis on the horse roleplay, Bill was even “...given oats” (O. Henry 9). None of these situations are common ones people face every day. Bill was pushed into these bizarre games, creating the comic situation. The unfortunate events that happened to Bill show that kidnapping this child definitely backfired on the two