Ransom Of Red Chief Irony

There was once somebody that was so annoying that somebody paid to take them away. "The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry tells a story of a boy and his kidnappers in Summit, Alabama. Johnny, Bill, and Ebenezer's thoughts, feelings, and actions were so tremendously ironic that it made the story humorous and unique.
Johnny Dorset did not behave the way one might have thought throughout the story. Firstly, he did not want to go home. When asked if he wanted to return home, he said, "'I don't have any fun at home. I hate to go to school. I like to camp out. You won't take me back home again, Snake-eye, will you?'" (page 29, paragraph 19). This is unexpected because when a ten-year-old boy gets kidnapped, one wouldn't expect him to go home; one would expect him to cry and beg to be released. Secondly, he was rude and annoying. When Sam came back from scouting the area, he found, "'He put a red-hot boiled potato down my back, ' explained Bill, 'and then mashed it with his foot; and I boxed his ears. Have you got a gun about you, Sam?'" (page 33, paragraph 32). This is an example of irony because one would expect a young boy to be paralyzed with fear, not mash a potato on somebody's …show more content…
First, he thinks Sam and Bill asked for too much money in exchange for his own child. In the letter, he wrote, "I think you are a little high in your demands, and I hereby make you a counter-proposition, which I am inclined to believe you will accept." (page 41, paragraph 85). Usually, parents will do anything to get their children to safety, no matter the cost. In addition, he made Sam and Bill pay him two-hundred fifty dollars for taking his son back. Also in the letter, he writes, "You bring Johnny home and pay me two-hundred fifty dollars in cash, and I agree to take him off your hands." (page 41, paragraph 85). This was ironic because one would expect him to pay the kidnappers money, not vice-versa. The story was more unique because of