Analysis Of So I Called By Louis Ck

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What makes us laugh? Why do we laugh? Is it because of the construction of the jokes? The content? The relatability? In So I Called the Batman¸ Louis CK notably creates comedy and generates laughter through the use of the incongruity theory. This is based on the fact that laughter is created when something violates our normal patterns and expectations. In order to achieve this, he uses the techniques of absurd lines, escalation and misdirection, gestures, the rule of three, acting out, and direct address.
To begin with, absurdity is humor with the absence of reason. The use of ambiguous and ridiculous statements creates confusion and laughter for the audience as it goes against their anticipations. To illustrate, at the start of the show
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He does this by stating a short narrative that has a disproportionately long build up and a deliberate anticlimactic punchline for comic effect. First, there is the set up: Louis CK is in a country house with his children and it is night time. Then, there is the central comic idea: there is a strange noise in the kitchen. Notably, instead of just stating there is a noise, he imitates the noise with his mouth giving us a glimpse of what he actually heard. The weird sound captivates the audience further and induces curiosity as it makes the story a lot more tangible and palpable. In addition to sound effects, he uses facial expressions and gesture to create escalation. To illustrate, when he states that he’s wide awake, he physically leans back with his fists clenched and his eyes wide open while raising his eyebrows. Similarly, when he states that his heart is pounding, he takes his right fist and impersonates the beating of his heart. He continues to act out the situation with his body crouched down and his fingers begin to move indicating nervousness and fear whilst his eyes are open wide and his teeth begin to shiver. Physical actions and body language bring the story to life and grabs the attention of the audience even more. Tension escalates when he starts to speculate if the noise in his kitchen is a witch. However, he delivers an unanticipated punchline when he simply reveals that the noise came from the dishwasher causing the audience to realize that they have been misled. This anticlimax is the reason why the audience laughs. It is also an unlikely coincidence that whilst he discovers that the dishwasher made the noise, he comes across a bat hanging from his ceiling. The joke is funny because the coincidence is

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