Irony In The Interlopers

Surprise can lead to happiness, or surprise can lead to depression. Situational irony is when somebody expects something to go one way, but it really happens the exact opposite way. Situational irony can also change the reader’s mind in a way they will never believe. In “The Ransom of Red Chief,” O. Henry uses situational irony to amuse the reader. In “The Necklace,” Guy de Maupassant uses a feeling of compassion for the short story. In “The Ransom of Red Chief” and in “The Necklace,” O. Henry, Guy de Maupassant, and any author can use situational irony to affect the reader's emotions.

Within this dark and dreary world where we so happen to find things that stand in our way and throw a wrench into all of the plans that we have made to appease ourselves. These simple, seemingly ordinary things can turn a whole world into nothing but rubble. The worst thing about these irritating interlopers is the very fact that almost every time, without fail, they turn out to have some sinister and humorous irony about themselves. That irony can sometimes make life far too hard for some people to bear. But some people don’t have to for long. Many authors have written tremendous novels based on dark irony and those malicious things in this world. So very many of them have succeeded in portraying this irony perfectly, and that tells you how very horrible that irony truly is. The famous short story author, Saki, told a very grim and ominous story called, The Interlopers. In this gloomy story of his, he uses irony to the very greatest of its potential and in the very last moments, he used dark imagery to show two men seemingly being served justice, but one can be lead to think otherwise.

Westwood,M. “What are Examples of Verbal, Situational, and Dramatic Irony in ‘The Story of an Hour’.” E-notes., E-notes, Inc., 30 Sept 2013. Web. 17 Mar 2014.

In the stories “Story of an Hour”, “Everyday Use”, “The Necklace”, and “The Lottery” it is evident that irony was quite a large part of the short story. There is situational irony, which is when the situation turns out differently than expected. Also, dramatic irony is present, which is when you as a reader knows more than the character. The authors seem to base their whole story around irony to surprise their readers.

The story provides verbal, situational, and even dramatic irony through different usage. While verbal irony is used for getting inside the character’s mind, dramatic and situation irony was used to create suspense to the story. In today’s world, the horror genre exploits the three types of irony, causing them to commonplace and predictable. Those however are fictional, as the ones of reality could be much more dangerous.

Various authors use rhetorical devices to emphasize the plot or theme in their writings. Many use symbols to convey ideas or meanings. Others use irony to make the reader analyze or paint a vivid picture of the unexpected. We see symbols in our everyday lives. For example, in religion, the cross symbolizes hope and faith to the Christians. In astrology, there are numerous of symbols, called zodiacs that identify one’s destiny and are used to determine one’s horoscope. Furthermore, in ancient times, Egyptians used symbols to communicate with one other or for religious rituals; the scriptures were called hieroglyphics. On the other hand, irony can best be described when the unexpected happens. For instance, it’s strange when a police man gets arrested or when a firehouse catches on fire.

Irony can often be found in many literary works. “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin is masterfully written full of irony. The characters of the short story, Mrs. Mallard, Josephine, Richards, Mr. Brently Mallard, and the doctors all find their way into Chopin’s ironic twists. Chopin embodies various ironies in “The Story of an Hour” through representations of verbal irony, dramatic irony, and situational irony.

Irony manifests a person’s meaning by using language that implies the opposite. It can also defines an event or state that represents the contrary to what someone expects. In the story the “The Guess” by Albert Camus, many situations and/or arguments cause irony. The first situation happens when Balducci delivers The Arab to Daru; Daru then discusses with Balducci that he doesn’t want to hand him to the guards, even though the Arab deserved to die for his crime. The second situation happens when Daru lying in bed began to think about the Arab’s crime, and how it changed Daru’s life. Having to send the Arab for execution proofs problematic for Daru; it only makes him feel humiliated. In the third situation, irony appears when Daru left the Arab in the top of the hill and showed him two roads, one that will take him to freedom and the other that will take him to his dead. Daru left the Arab alone to make the decision, then he discovered the Arab decides to respond for his crime, and he walks towards the guards. All three situations that represent irony are characterized and summarize in the following paragraphs.

Westwood, M. “What are examples of Verbal, Situational< and Dramatic Irony in ‘The Story of an Hour.’” E-Notes. E-Notes, Inc., 30 Sept 2013. Web. 17 March 2014

The author, Saki, includes irony in this story, as a way to get the reader to stop and think about what is going on. Ulrich von Gradwitz and Georg Znaeym are the two characters in this book and they both have the same goal of killing each other. While in the woods hunting each other down, a tree falls. Ulrich finds it amusing when he sees that Georg is caught underneath the tree, he says “So you’re not killed, as you ought to be, but you’re caught, anyway,” he cried, “caught fast. Ho, what a jest, Ulrich von Gradwitz snared in his stolen forest. There’s real justice for you!” This is ironic that he finds being trapped under the tree a suitable punishment for Ulrich, as he too is trapped underneath the same tree. The two men argue with minimal