Thursday, June 20, 2013

In "The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry, how does the little boy respond at first to being kidnapped?

Sam and Bill select the son of Ebenezer Dorset as their victim. After storing their provisions in a cave on the mountain, they drive their rented buggy into town and spy the boy throwing rocks at a kitten. They try to entice him into the buggy by offering him candy and a ride. The boy, whose name is Johnny, throws a piece of brick at Bill that hits him him in the eye. The men have to struggle with Johnny to get him into the buggy; in fact, he "put up a fight like a welter-weight cinnamon bear." This means that the boy does not go willingly, nor is he convinced by the bribe they offer him.


However, once Johnny is at the camp of the kidnappers, he begins to enjoy himself. He pretends to be Red Chief, an "Indian" who has captured Hank the Trapper, played by Bill. Bill has bruises all over his shins where Johnny has kicked him. Ironically, Johnny is very happy in his captivity; he "seemed to be having the time of his life." He thinks camping out in a cave is a lark. In fact, during dinner he assures the men he doesn't want to go home at all because he doesn't have any fun there. He would much rather camp out with his friends "Snake-eye" and "Hank."


Although Johnny fights the men during his initial capture, he soon warms to the idea of camping out with the men and declares he has "never had such fun in all [his] life."

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