| "The Ransom of Red Chief" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by O. Henry | |
 The Ransom of Red Chief | |
| 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 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 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.
- ^ Henry, O. (2007). The Ransom of Red Chief. Mankato, MN: Creative Education. p. 29. ISBN 978-1583415856.