The Ransom of Red Chief
1907 short story by O. Henry / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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"The Ransom of Red Chief" is a short story by O. Henry first published in the July 6, 1907 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. It follows two men who kidnap and demand a ransom for a wealthy man's son. Eventually, the men are overwhelmed by the boy's spoiled and hyperactive behavior, so they pay his father to take him back.
"The Ransom of Red Chief" | |
---|---|
Short story by O. Henry | |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Genre(s) | Comedy |
Publication | |
Published in | Whirligigs[1] |
Publication type | story collection |
Publisher | Doubleday, Page |
Media type | short story |
Publication date | 1907 |
The story and its main idea have become a part of popular culture, with many children's television programs depicting versions of the story as one of their episodes. It has often been used as a classic example of two ultimate comic ironies: a hostage actually liking his abductors and enjoying being captured, and his captors having the tables turned on them and being compelled to pay to be rid of him.