There are no elements of writing that can compare to the brutal twists of irony. It is like a torture device used on the characters of a story for our entertainment. In reality, we have no control over the ironic torments life hands to us, and that is why it is so prevalent in fiction. Not only can we control something so elusive, but we can use it strategically to create tales that shock and captivate an audience. This strategic use of irony in story telling can be seen in Flannery O’Conner’s “The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” and Guy Maupassant’s “The Necklace” when the authors build up an ironic climax with subtle irony occurring throughout their stories. In O’Connor’s “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” the irony begins in the title.
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He proclaims, “Oh Lord! Break forth and wash the slime from the earth!” The storm them comes down directly on him. He is the slime on earth, acting as a riotous man and the lord descends upon him.
In “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” the irony is not obvious until after the climax of the story, but in Guy Maupassant’s “The Necklace” the irony can be predicted as soon as the protagonist, Madame Ramponneau, is described. She and her husband are neither wealthy nor poor, and live a modest life, but she yearns for a lavish lifestyle. She conducts herself as if she is above her current means of living, and she deserves to belong to the elite and wealthy. This is an obvious foreshadowing of her ironic fate.
Even after her husband gets them an invite to an exclusive party she is still dissatisfied because she doesn’t have a dress or jewels and she will look poor. He gives her the money he was saving for himself to get a dress and suggests that she could borrow jewelry from a friend. The continual sacrifices he makes for his wife are ironic because ultimately, he lost everything just to please her. He doesn’t even enjoy himself at the party and his wife keeps him there wildly late even though he had to work early the next
He proclaims, “Oh Lord! Break forth and wash the slime from the earth!” The storm them comes down directly on him. He is the slime on earth, acting as a riotous man and the lord descends upon him.
In “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” the irony is not obvious until after the climax of the story, but in Guy Maupassant’s “The Necklace” the irony can be predicted as soon as the protagonist, Madame Ramponneau, is described. She and her husband are neither wealthy nor poor, and live a modest life, but she yearns for a lavish lifestyle. She conducts herself as if she is above her current means of living, and she deserves to belong to the elite and wealthy. This is an obvious foreshadowing of her ironic fate.
Even after her husband gets them an invite to an exclusive party she is still dissatisfied because she doesn’t have a dress or jewels and she will look poor. He gives her the money he was saving for himself to get a dress and suggests that she could borrow jewelry from a friend. The continual sacrifices he makes for his wife are ironic because ultimately, he lost everything just to please her. He doesn’t even enjoy himself at the party and his wife keeps him there wildly late even though he had to work early the next