The Ransom of Red Chief

Foreshadowing is a literary device in which the author hints toward later plot events. O. Henry uses blatant remarks that foreshadow both Johnny’s violent personality and the ironic ending of the story.

The first line of the story foreshadows the twists before the actual plot is introduced to the reader: “It looked like a good thing: but wait till I tell you” (71). The blatant foreshadowing of the ironic plot twists also enhances the humorous mood of the story. Sam’s use of the line “but wait till I tell you,” which appears in the first and the fourth paragraph, is intended to create a sense of amusement, as if the narrator is about to share some interesting gossip.

Johnny’s violent nature and his emotionally-distant relationship with his father are foreshadowed during the kidnapping scene. When the men come to take Johnny, he is alone at night, suggesting that his father does not have strict boundaries for the child. Further, he is throwing rocks at a helpless kitten. O. Henry portrays Johnny as violent and unempathetic, which foreshadows his later cruelty toward Bill.