Irony In Dorothy Parker's A Telephone Call

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Being in love with someone brings not only happiness but also pain. That pain is waiting. This reality is made clear in Dorothy Parker’s short story A Telephone Call. In this story, a woman is waiting for the call from her lover. She waited nervously as she promised to be phoned at 5. This woman knows that the anxiety that she felt was not needed, but she couldn’t restless. Parker uses the literary tools of irony, repetition, flashbacks, hyperbole to portray this hurting, yet loving scene.

The first element Dorothy Parker uses to establish the waiting in A Telephone Call is irony. When the reader already read the title and this story will be picture the irony of this story. From the beginning to the end of this story there is no telephone conversation, even though the title of the story is "A Telephone Call." Besides the title, the other irony is the statement seen this woman. She is often make statements that she denies …show more content…

In paragraph 2, "If I could think of something else. If I could think of something else. " In paragraph 6," Why can not that telephone ring? Why can not it, why can not it? Could not you ring? Ah, please, could not you? " In Paragraph 15," I must not. I must not, I must not. " There are also many times the repetition of this phrase" let him telephone me now " These repetition shows that women are really upset and could not impatient waiting. Then there is repetition that showed women loves that man. In Paragraph 4, That's mine, that's mine ... I want him so much. I want him so much

The author uses flashbacks to illustrate the love of this woman. In paragraph 3 "I'll call you at five, darling." I think that's where he said "darling." I'm almost sure he said it there. I know he called me "darling" twice, and the other time was when he said good-by. "Good-by, darling." He was busy, and he can't say much in the office, but he called me "darling" twice. He couldn't have minded my calling him

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