In Joyce Carol Oates’ short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, Oates uses irony when naming her antagonist, Arnold Friend. He calls himself that in order to subconsciously show Connie that he is, “An Old Friend.” Flannery O’Connor does the same with one of her characters in “Good Country People,” Mrs. Freeman. She lived on the Hopewell’s farm with her husband, Mr. Freeman, and they work the land as sharecroppers. Though not a slave, they were heavily dependent on and tied to the Hopewells. Another example of an author using irony in naming their characters is Tim O’Brien’s short story, “The Things They Carried.” In this narrative, a young American soldier named Ted Lavender is killed in the Korean War. Lavender is a herb used for centuries and a calming sedative that fights anxiety and promotes restful sleep. However, despite his name, Ted Lavender is the most uptight, nervous, anxious soldier in the group. So much so, he keeps drugs with him to help calm him
In Joyce Carol Oates’ short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, Oates uses irony when naming her antagonist, Arnold Friend. He calls himself that in order to subconsciously show Connie that he is, “An Old Friend.” Flannery O’Connor does the same with one of her characters in “Good Country People,” Mrs. Freeman. She lived on the Hopewell’s farm with her husband, Mr. Freeman, and they work the land as sharecroppers. Though not a slave, they were heavily dependent on and tied to the Hopewells. Another example of an author using irony in naming their characters is Tim O’Brien’s short story, “The Things They Carried.” In this narrative, a young American soldier named Ted Lavender is killed in the Korean War. Lavender is a herb used for centuries and a calming sedative that fights anxiety and promotes restful sleep. However, despite his name, Ted Lavender is the most uptight, nervous, anxious soldier in the group. So much so, he keeps drugs with him to help calm him