Irony In Saki's The Open Window
In the story The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell, irony plays a big part in establishing the characters and it emphasizes how different General Zaroff and Rainsford are. It also shows how the context may change throughout the story in the sense that the hunters become the hunted and the enemies thrive with each other. It changes Rainsford perception on the animals he has hunted for sport when he quickly becomes the hunted. Overall, the author, Richard Connell uses irony very well to show emphasize different points in the story. One clear example of how the author uses irony in his work is through the conversation between sailor, Whitney and game hunter, Rainford.
Situational irony is irony involving a situation in which actions have an effect that is opposite from what was intended, so that the outcome is contrary to what was expected. dramatic irony is used a lot within books, plays, and movies. It is when the audience is aware of something that the characters in the story are not aware of. Within this paper, I will demonstrate on how Ray Bradbury utilizes irony within the novel Fahrenheit 451. First example of situational irony would most likely be with the firefighters in this novel.
You wouldn’t expect the sweetest and most trustworthy guy in town to go out and start committing terrible acts, would you? That is an example of situational irony because it is demonstrating the opposite of what you would expect. In another situation, the audience already knows that Dr. Jekyll is the evil one, when the town actually thinks that it’s Mr. Hyde. This would be dramatic irony because the audience is more aware of what’s happening than most of the characters do. The third type of irony found in the movie would be when Dr. Jekyll said that “I would never hurt her”, however he is clearly aware that his evil side is the one who attacked her.
This essay is going to be about comparing two short stories that I have read. There are many things that a person can compare, whether it’s the literal meaning of something or a figurative meaning. Both things will be discussed in the essay, along with contrasting the two stories The first story I will be talking about is “The Interlopers” by Saki. This story is about two neighbors fighting over hunting grounds.
Irony is present in everyday life. It has become the crux of thousands of jokes, remarks and even the media. Thousands of stories include irony in them in the form of ironic twists, characters, and plotlines. The irony in stories is often sidelined or overlooked; however, it can be so much more. In “The Veldt”, it is, in fact, a large part of the story.
In “The Stolen Party” by Lilana Heker, there are two instances where irony is used. The first moment would be in the very beginning. On the first page
Verbal irony involves a character saying one thing, and meaning another. Situational irony consists of what is expected to happen, and what actually happens. Three types of irony found in Edgar Allan Poe’s, “The Cask of Amontillado”, are dramatic, verbal, and situational irony. A good example of dramatic irony occurs when Montresor explains to Fortunato that he is also a mason. Then, Fortunato asks for a sign.
Another occurrence of irony emphasizing the flaw within the court’s process of prosecution is when he states Mary Warren’s punishment and the girl’s punishment. He states that if Mary Warren “has been conquered by Satan...her neck will break for it but if she speaks true, I bid you now drop your guile and confess your pretense, for a quick confession will go easier on you”( Miller 95). A situational irony is an event that surprises the audience. This would be considered ironic since both crimes of Mary Warren and the girls are on the same level of severity and seriousness. However, Mary Warren is the only one being killed for her confession of her crimes, while the others live.
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.
For instance, when the protagonist, Harrison escapes from jail and crashes the live ballerina broadcast Vonnegut uses situational irony. Once Harrison escapes, the reader develops a conclusion that Harrison will rebel when he says, “I am the Emperor!” When Harrison and his Empress, the ballerina “shifted their weights to their toes” the reader assumes Harrison will take over and over throw Diana Moon Glampers but, the Handicap General shoots them both dead. This is situational irony because it is the exact opposite of what is anticipated. With this scene Vonnegut is implying that equality is dangerous.
Irony can be seen throughout the story in the words and phrases of the character. The irony can create a disturbing, yet slightly humorous scene with the audience not knowing what’s coming for the characters. In the short story, The Cask Of Amontillado, irony can be seen through the conversations of the two characters, Montresor and Fortunato. Although, Montresor is the character with most literary devices. Verbal irony can be seen in the story when Montresor told the “attendees” to stay in the house while he was gone.
Situational Irony is a very important element in literature and can be found in many famous literary works including Ray Bradbury’s There Will Come Soft Rains. Situational Irony adds drama to the story and engages the reader. There are three specific examples of situational irony in There Will Come Soft Rains: The house continues to perform its daily tasks even though no one lives there, the house is destroyed by a tree branch that starts a fire yet it survived a nuclear fallout, and Mrs. McClellan’s favorite poem describes the situation in the story. The first example of situational irony can be seen in the fact that the house continues to do its everyday tasks even though all of the humans that used to live there are dead.
Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that the characters do not. Dramatic and situational irony appear throughout a few of Carver’s numerous remarkable short stories. Cathedral by Raymond Carver is the story about a blind man, Robert, who visits a husband and wife in their home. One would expect the husband to be able to see more than the blind man, but ironically this is not the case. The husband who is also the narrator can physically see, but figuratively can not.
A cheeky 15 year old teen, Vera, tells a spooky story the Mr. Nuttel who is diagnosed with a nervous condition about how Mrs. Sappleton opens the window to wait for her husband and brothers to come home from the marshes every year since the "tragedy", three years ago. British author Hector Hugh Munro, also known under his pen name Saki, published "The Open Window" in 1914.Through the perspectives of the characters Mrs. Sappleton and Mr. Nuttel in the story, the author's use of literary devices like dramatic irony, oxymoron and verbal irony creates humor. First, the author demonstrates the use of dramatic irony a literary device used to describe when the readers knows something that the characters don't. The author uses dramatic irony to create a humorous effect through the perspectives of Mr. Nuttel, Mrs. Sappleton and the Reader.
When writing short stories authors can use irony as a reference to interpret and support parts of the work. The short story “The Eyes Have It” by Philip K. Dick is about a man who finds a book on the bus and interprets the idioms with in the book literally, which leads him to believe he has discovered another life form among earth. The author wrote this piece using irony through word play as a literary device. By taking something that is a normality in society, and twisting the words to be literal, the author displays that the words and phrases that are just supposed to commonly known ironically do not make any sense. “The Eyes Have It” concludes with the notion that the English vocabulary once ultimately registering it, can be quite strange.
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