Chapter 7 The Ransom Of The Red Chief Summary, Analysis and Questions & Answers

In this post, I am sharing Chapter 7 The Ransom Of The Red Chief Questions & Answers and in the last post I shared with you Chapter 6 River, Up Close and Personal, Chapter 5 Waste Disposal, and Chapter 4 Macbeth and the Witches

Summary of The Ransom Of The Red Chief:

The story “The Ransom of Red Chief” by O. Henry is about two men named Sam and Bill who plan to kidnap a wealthy man’s son and hold him for ransom. Their plan backfires when the boy turns out to be a terror and they end up paying the boy’s father to take him back.

Sam and Bill are two poor men who come up with a plan to kidnap the only son of Ebenezer Dorset, a wealthy man, to raise money for their land-ownership scheme. They take the boy, Johnny, to a cave near the town of Summit and write a letter to Dorset asking for fifteen hundred dollars in exchange for Johnny’s safe return. However, their plan starts to fall apart when Johnny turns out to be a difficult child who enjoys tormenting Bill, the kidnappers’ weak link.

Johnny pretends to be the “Red Chief” and terrorizes Bill by shooting him with a sling and throwing rocks at him. Bill becomes increasingly desperate to be rid of Johnny, and when Sam goes to town to post the ransom letter, Bill agrees to pay Dorset to take Johnny back. Dorset agrees to pay the ransom, but the kidnappers are surprised when Johnny refuses to leave the cave. Johnny eventually goes back to his father, but not before he has caused considerable chaos and injury to the kidnappers.

At the end of the story, Sam and Bill learn a valuable lesson about honesty and the consequences of their actions. They realize that their plan to kidnap Johnny was a mistake and that it was wrong to try to extort money from his father. They also learn that dishonesty and greed can lead to unexpected and unpleasant consequences. The story is a humorous and ironic commentary on the dangers of greed and the importance of honesty and integrity.

Reading

A. Arrange these sentences in the correct order.

1. Bill sends the boy back while Sam goes to post the letter.

2. The boy has a good time in the cave with Bill and Sam, forgetting that

he is a captive.

3. He keeps them awake through the night, jumping up and shouting.

4. Bill and Sam plan a kidnapping project together to fund their land-ownership scheme.

5. They get an unexpected reply from Dorset asking them to pay money to take

his son back.

6. They kidnap the only son of Ebenezer Dorset and take him to a nearby cave.

7. Bill agrees to pay the amount and returns the boy to his father.

8. He terrifies Bill by pretending to be the Red Chief.

9. They write a letter to Dorset asking for fifteen hundred dollars.

10. But the boy returns to the cave much to their surprise.

11. He hurts Bill with a rock from a sling, who then falls into a pan of hot water.

Answers:

Bill and Sam plan a kidnapping project together to fund their land-ownership scheme.
They kidnap the only son of Ebenezer Dorset and take him to a nearby cave.
He keeps them awake through the night, jumping up and shouting.
The boy has a good time in the cave with Bill and Sam, forgetting that he is a captive.
But the boy returns to the cave much to their surprise.
He hurts Bill with a rock from a sling, who then falls into a pan of hot water.
Bill sends the boy back while Sam goes to post the letter.
They get an unexpected reply from Dorset asking them to pay money to take his son back.
They write a letter to Dorset asking for fifteen hundred dollars.
Bill agrees to pay the amount and returns the boy to his father.

Correct order: 4-6-3-2-10-11-1-5-9-7

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B. Read these lines from the text and answer these questions.

1. “Parents dote on such rowdy kids.”

a. Who said this to whom?

b. Was the kid rowdy? What makes them say that?

c. Why was the speaker certain that the parents would agree to their terms?

Answers:

The speaker, Sam, said this to his accomplice, Bill.
Yes, the kid was rowdy. The speaker said this sarcastically because the kid they had kidnapped, the son of Ebenezer Dorset, was extremely difficult to handle and caused them a lot of trouble.
The speaker was certain that the parents would agree to their terms because they knew the trouble their son caused and would be willing to pay to have him returned safely.

2. “You won’t go away and leave me here alone, will you, Sam?”

a. Who says these words and when?

b. What had just happened to the speaker?

c. Why does the speaker seem frightened to be alone?

Answers:

a. The son of Ebenezer Dorset says these words to Sam when Sam is trying to leave him alone in the cave.

b. Sam had just returned to the cave to retrieve something and was planning to leave the boy alone there.

c. The speaker, the son of Ebenezer Dorset, seems frightened to be alone because he has been kidnapped and is in an unfamiliar and potentially dangerous situation.

3. It was dark and Bill was a fat man and I was a good runner. But he had run a good

mile and a half out of Summit before I could catch up with him.

a. What was Bill running away from?

b. Why could the speaker not catch up with Bill even

with Bill even though he was a good runner?

C. Do you think Bill was really scared of the neighbours?

Answers:

a. Bill was running away from the son of Ebenezer Dorset who had just hit him with a rock and injured him.

b. Despite being a good runner, the speaker could not catch up with Bill because he was tired from running a good mile and a half out of Summit. Additionally, Bill was fat and therefore slower than the speaker.

C No, Bill was not really sacred of the neighbours.

C. Answer in detail.

1. How did Sam and Bill plan the kidnapping project?

2. How did the boy treat Bill? Make a list of the things he did to Bill.

3. Describe the letter that Sam and Bill wrote to the boy’s father.

4. How did Ebenezer Dorset react to the kidnapping of his son?

Why wasn’t he worried?

5. What happened when they took the boy back to his house?

Answers:

Sam and Bill planned the kidnapping project by targeting the only son of Ebenezer Dorset, who they believed would fetch a high ransom. They studied his habits and routines to identify the best time and place for the kidnapping. They then created a plan to take the boy to a nearby cave, keep him there for a few days, and demand a ransom of $1500 from his father in exchange for his safe return.
The boy treated Bill in a mischievous and troublesome way. He jumped on Bill, hit him, threw rocks at him, and kept him awake all night by shouting and making loud noises. He also pretended to be the Red Chief and threatened to scalp Bill. Finally, he injured Bill with a rock from a sling, causing him to fall into a pan of hot water.
The letter that Sam and Bill wrote to the boy’s father was a demand for ransom in exchange for the safe return of his son. The letter was written in a mocking and sarcastic tone, suggesting that they were doing the father a favor by taking his rowdy son away for a few days. They demanded a ransom of $1500, which they claimed was a reasonable price for their trouble.
Ebenezer Dorset was not worried about the kidnapping of his son because he believed that the boy was so mischievous and troublesome that anyone who took him would soon regret it and return him unharmed. He also believed that the kidnappers would not harm his son because they wanted to collect the ransom.
When they took the boy back to his house, Ebenezer Dorset was waiting for them with a shotgun. He demanded that they return his son immediately and pay him $250 for the trouble they had caused. Bill agreed to pay the amount and returned the boy to his father. The boy, however, refused to leave until he had said goodbye to his “Red Chief” captors and promised to visit them soon.

D. Think and answers:

1. Was the boy troubled by the kidnapping? How do you know?

2. Why did Sam ask Bill if there was any heart disease in his family?

3. What kind of relationship do you think the boy shared with his neighbours?

4. Do you think Sam and Bill would have given up their wrong doings after this experience?

Answers:

It doesn’t seem like the boy was troubled by the kidnapping. In fact, he seemed to have a great time with Sam and Bill in the cave, and even returned to it after they had returned him home. He also enjoyed playing the role of the Red Chief and terrorizing Bill.
Sam asked Bill if there was any heart disease in his family because he was worried about the physical strain of the kidnapping project. Sam knew that they would need to do a lot of running and physical activity, and he wanted to make sure that Bill was up to the task.
It’s difficult to say for sure, but based on the boy’s behavior and the way his parents talked about him, it seems like he might have been a bit of a troublemaker. His parents seemed to be at their wits’ end with his behavior, and he was described as “rowdy” and “a holy terror.” However, he also seemed to be well-liked by his neighbors, who would “dote” on him.
It’s hard to say whether Sam and Bill would give up their wrongdoings after this experience. On the one hand, they were clearly traumatized by their experience with the boy and seemed to regret what they had done. On the other hand, they were also motivated by a desire for money and land, and it’s possible that they might resort to criminal activities again in the future if they felt it was necessary.

E. Know your values.

Sam and Bill learn a valuable lesson by the end of the story. Explain why you think honesty is important.

Answers:

Honesty is important because it forms the foundation of trust and respect in our relationships. When we are honest with others, we are being truthful and sincere, and we are showing that we value their trust. Honesty also helps to prevent misunderstandings and conflicts, as it allows us to communicate openly and transparently with others.

In the story, Sam and Bill learn the hard way that dishonesty can lead to unexpected consequences and can ultimately cause more harm than good. Their attempt to make easy money by kidnapping the boy ends up backfiring on them, and they are forced to pay a high price for their wrongdoing. This experience teaches them that honesty is always the best policy, and that taking shortcuts and engaging in illegal activities is never worth the risk.

In our own lives, being honest can also help us to build strong and healthy relationships with others, as well as earn their respect and trust. By being truthful and transparent in our interactions with others, we can cultivate a sense of integrity and build a reputation as someone who can be relied upon. Honesty also helps us to stay true to our values and principles, even in difficult situations where it may be tempting to take shortcuts or act dishonestly. Overall, honesty is an essential value that helps to build trust, respect, and integrity in our personal and professional lives.

Important Links of this Book:

1-When I heard the learned Astroomer

2-The Listeners

3-Whose Place is it anyway

4-Our Casuarina Tree

5-Different

6-Grandama Climbs a Tree

7-Where The Mind is Without Fear

Chapter 1 George’s Secret Key to the universe

Chapter 2 Feathered Friend

Chapter 3 The Hound of the Baskervilles

Chapter 4 Macbeth and the Witches