Genre
Short story
Setting and Context
The story is set in an Alabama town in the early 1900s.
Narrator and Point of View
The story is narrated in Sam's first-person voice and told from his point of view.
Tone and Mood
The tone is one of humor and the mood is light despite the context of a kidnapping.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is Sam; his antagonists include Bill, Dorset, and especially Johnny.
Major Conflict
The major conflict in the story is that Sam and Bill's kidnapping scheme is foiled when they are driven crazy by their captive and the boy's father knows he won't have to pay to have the boy back.
Climax
The story reaches its climax when the kidnappers realize their ransom won't be paid, and that to the contrary they themselves will have to pay the boy's father to take him back.
Foreshadowing
That Johnny is throwing rocks at a kitten when the men first spot him foreshadows his violent, delinquent behavior.
Understatement
Allusions
When describing how Johnny whoops as he slings a rock at Bill, Sam alludes to the biblical story of David and Goliath.
