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Greed In O. Henry's Ransom Of Red Chief

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More than 2,000 kids are kidnapped every day. The story Ransom of Red Chief, is about 2 men, named Bill and Sam, who kidnap a child and in return they want money. A little bit after taking the child they have to rethink their actions. In the story, “Ransom of Red Chief”, O. Henry creates the theme, because of greed and selfishness, unwanted events may happen in return.
One way that O. Henry portrays the theme is through a character named Bill Driscoll. Bill first shows the theme after Bill and Sam take the child, Johnny Dorset. For instance, Johnny starts to play a game and he is known as “Red Chief” and he tells Bill that at dawn he was to scalp him, however Bill and Sam did not believe him, “I jumped up to see what the matter was. Red Chief was sitting …show more content…

Johnny is in a very wealthy and put together family, which is why Bill and Sam choose him. According to the text, Johnny’s father was very stern and had money, “ The father was respectable and tight, a mortgage fancier and a stern, upright collection plate passer and forecloser... Bill and me figured that Ebenezer would melt down for a ransom of two thousand dollars to a cent. But wait till I tell you.” This shows the theme because of Johnny’s very respectable family, he is longing for something from his father. This longing that Johnny has is for attention from his father. For example, when Johnny’s father replies to Bill and Sam’s note about the ransom he doesn’t seem to really care about Johnny, “ and I agree to take him off your hands. You had better come at night, for the neighbours believe he is lost, and I couldn’t be responsible for what they would do to anybody they saw bringing him back.” This shows the theme, because of Johnny's greediness to get attention from his father he says he doesn’t want to go home and tries to stay as long as he can which affects Bill and Sam because they end up paying when they weren’t even supposed

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