ipl-logo

Irony In O. Henry's Short Story

1101 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The ransom of red chief

O. Henry (1867 – 1910), an American writer, who is famous mainly for his short stories. These stories usually focus on the image of the poor who spends their daily living to earn. Perhaps O. Henry knows so well about this kind of life that his stories always convey the heartfelt sympathy with the characters. Besides his sympathy, he expresses his humor through every story so that his stories always contain unexpected climaxes, which lead to an amazing ending. Some of his celebrated stories are “the Ransom of Red Chief”, “The Cop and the Anthem”, “A retrieved Reformation”, “The Duplicity of Hargraves”, “The Caballero’s Way”, and especially “The Gift of the Magi”. People believed that this story was written at Pete’s Tavern on Irving Place in …show more content…

The two versions involve a young married couple and the way they buy the secret Christmas gifts for each other with a little money. Although the modern version changes some details, it still conveys what O. Henry wants to transmit. Through laughter, author’s compassion was expressed. In spite of some differences, two of them are classic examples of irony. Irony is a literary technique in which an expectation of what is supposed to happen differs enormously from the actual result. In gift of the magi, the two main characters sold their most valuable asset to earn money to buy something special for their lover. In their situation, they should not waste your money buying something that have no use; however, just because of love, they accept all. In the end, the special gifts that they carefully prepare are not what they receive, but something they can not expect: they know how much they love each other. It can be seen that the themes of original version still unchanged. O. Henry focuses on three themes: wealthy and poverty, generosity and the most important – love. Of course, Ann Dandron-Duke is loyal to these

Show More
Related

Comparing The Odyssey And Oh Brother Where Art Thou

776 Words | 4 Pages

both use the literary device irony throughout the stories’ main characters' eventful adventures. Using irony through these stories gave the opportunity for the main characters to prove their worth and to be accepted by their homeland. For example, Odysseus said, “Because I am all dirty, dressed in rags, and begging through the town? I have no choice. This is how homeless people have to live.”

Read More

How Does Steinbeck Use Dramatic Irony In Of Mice And Men

394 Words | 2 Pages

Without seeing Curley’s wife or Amelia, the reader can easily characterise the two figures in their minds. This effect is created by powerful imagery. Both characters are viewed as promiscuous and flirtatious; evidenced rough their obsession with alluring clothing. Similarly the phrases "and now you've gay bracelets and bright feathers three" of the Ruined maid and “ostrich feathers in Of Mice and Men have very similar connotations. The synonymy in presenting them both as birds signifies the writer’s intentions to portray them as glamorous, with a natural almost animal like confidence.

Read More

How Does Ralph Ellison Use Irony In The Road

388 Words | 2 Pages

By using irony, readers can hear the wisdom in the older narrator but also get to know the narrator in the story – the younger version. Because irony is used, readers can tell when the ‘character’ narrator is oblivious to being used or discriminated against. Irony allows readers to see how naïve the narrator was when he was younger – something that he himself recognizes as he gets older.

Read More

Theme Of Irony In Huckleberry Finn

1012 Words | 5 Pages

The perfect ending The numerous examples of satire and irony provided in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn the reason I selected this as the topic for my essay. The examples I have included below all tie together to give the book an overall theme of Jealousy. For the duration of your whole life, everyone is jealous of at least one person in their life at one time for numerous reason that will vary person to person. Whether it's jealousy of appearance, money, experiences, education, jobs, friendship, excetera everyone will end up longing for something someone else has that you lack.

Read More

Irony And Themes Of Flannery O Connor

1417 Words | 6 Pages

Authors use the irony in characters to bring out themes into the story. Flannery O’Connor develops the themes, often in the form of a question, of each story based on the irony of characters so the reader can see they irony of their own lives. In the story A Good Man is Hard

Read More

Irony In Good Country People By Flannery O Connor

1407 Words | 6 Pages

The concealment of a deeper meaning through the use of irony is a powerful tool that can be utilized to bring about a greater impact to the actual meaning of what was intended. The use of irony is more common than it is thought to be, thus resulting in an incorrect use of the language device. In the article “Word police: irony & ironic” it is stated, “People routinely use without knowing what they mean. No one seems to use the dictionary anymore--and thus they end up sounding ignorant. ”(1).

Read More

Similarities Between Their Eyes Are Watching God And The Lottery

618 Words | 3 Pages

Both of the authors used different types of irony during their stories.

Read More

Gendercide In The 17th Century

1111 Words | 5 Pages

For the 16th and 17th centuries of early modern European history, many societies were consumed by a trepidation over alleged theories of witchcraft and sorcery in their communities. “Witch-hunts”, especially in Central Europe, resulted in the trial, torture, and execution of tens of thousands of victims, a large proportion of whom were women . In England alone, more than 90 percent of those convicted of witchcraft were women, and the few men who were accused were generally married to a woman who had already been deemed guilty of the offence . Although there are numerous ideas behind the explanation of this witch-craze, there are few which explain why it was almost exclusively women who were targeted. It is possible to say that neither before nor since these centuries have adult European women been the main focus for such a large scale barbarity.

Read More

How Does Saki Use Dramatic Irony In The Open Window

416 Words | 2 Pages

In the short story, “The Open Window”, author Saki (H.H. Munro) uses multiple types of irony to elaborate the sense of the mood to readers. Saki uses dramatic irony, verbal irony, and situational irony to show the differences between the characters’ mindsets and personalities. Using different types of irony in stories makes one able to better understand multiple viewpoints of the characters. Dramatic irony is when the reader comprehends what is going on in the story or knows something the characters do not. An example of dramatic irony is shown in context where Mrs. Sappleton waits for her family to come home.

Read More

Irony In The Tell-Tale Heart And The Lottery

471 Words | 2 Pages

Dramatic irony is usually an over the top, tragic form of irony. Both Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” and Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” are great examples of an ironic situation. Every expresses the common theme in their own way. Although both of these literally pieces provide us with the theme of irony, Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" gives the reader a sense of suspense with the irony that proves to be more effective. Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" emphasizes on how a man’s thoughts and perception can affect oneself and other’s lives.

Read More

Examples Of Irony In The Story Of An Hour

1206 Words | 5 Pages

Family and friends are an important part of life. In the case of Mrs. Mallard she saw her husband as more of someone that holds power over her In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”, the story Mrs. Mallard has to deal with her husband allegedly dying, just to figure out at the end of the story that nothing happened to him and he is still alive. The use of Irony is really what makes this story great. Irony enhances the total effect of Kate Chopin 's "The Story of an Hour" by characterizing the protagonist, supporting the exposition and timeline, and building tension leading to the twist ending.

Read More

Social Commentary In Mark Twain's The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer

973 Words | 4 Pages

In his short stories, O. Henry shows many examples of irony/plot twists. Ransom of the Red Chief is a story about two men who decide to kidnap a boy. However, he treats the men as if they were toys, and drives the men crazy causing them to give the boy back. "I found Bill backed up against the side of it, breathing hard, and the boy threatening to smash him with a rock

Read More

Use Of Irony In The Ransom Of Red Chief

663 Words | 3 Pages

O.Henry is a mastermind behind his use of irony as he was using his irony to entertain the reader throughout the story. He was also using humor, and mainly using Johnny, and his actions to entertain and make the reader laugh. O.Henry was also using the perfect combination of words to paint a picture in the reader's head which definitely helped me understand the plot line much better. O.Henry's funny writing style definitely had showed itself in many great ways in his short story The Ransom of Red

Read More

Suspense In The Tell Tale Heart Analysis

765 Words | 4 Pages

Another example of irony in this text is dramatic irony. The reader knows that the narrator is planning to kill the man very soon, while the man has no clue that he is about to be killed, and he is just sleeping. “To think that there I was, opening the door, little by little, and he not even to dream of my secret deeds or thoughts.” The readers know that the narrator is stalking the old man, while the old man is just sleeping. Suspense is created since the reader does not know what the old man will do, whether he will be killed, or whether he will notice the

Read More

Story Of An Hour Irony Analysis

866 Words | 4 Pages

In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” readers are dropped into a deep conflict. A man must tell a woman that her husband is dead. In the beginning there is a subtle hint at the ironic twist ending, but the story goes on cooly in spite of it. Readers start to feel connected to Mrs. Mallard and begins to pity her situation, all because of irony. The effect of irony in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” enhances the protagonist’s situation, it introduces the effect of the foreshadowing, and indirectly characterizes the protagonist.

Read More

More about Irony In O. Henry's Short Story

Related Topics

Open Document