The Ruined Maid

Irony is a useful device for giving stories many unexpected twists and turns. In Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour," irony is used as an effective literary device. Situational irony is used to show the reader that what is expected to happen sometimes doesn't. Dramatic irony is used to clue the reader in on something that is happening that the characters in the story do not know about. Irony is used throughout Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" through the use of situational irony and the use of dramatic irony.

Between the stories of “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Poe, and “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” by Ernest Hemingway, the authors are able to control these stories through the use of irony, defined as a “contrast or incongruity between expectations for a situation and what is reality. This can be a difference between the surface meaning of something that is said and the underlying meaning” (http://www.literarydevices.com/irony/). Within these short stories, each author has been able to bring the reader into the story by giving them the opportunity to endure the thoughts and feelings of individual characters which include the taste for revenge, and the bitter truth of a marriage. The way irony is placed into the stories has

The author of the story “Lamb to the Slaughter”, Roald Dahl, uses a significant amount of irony throughout the story. Dahl uses irony to make his story more appealing to the reader by keeping them engaged. An example of irony in the story is when Mary is six months pregnant and her husband expresses he is leaving her, so she murders him. The audience would have never seen this coming because the author expresses Mary’s feelings from the beginning of the story by saying, “She loved him for the way he sat loosely in a chair, for the way he came in the door or moved slowly across the room with long strides. She loved the intent, far look in his eyes when they rested on her, the funny shape of the mouth, and especially the way he remained silent about his tiredness, sitting still with himself until the whiskey had taken some of it away.” (Dahl 1-2). When Dahl shares Mary’s feelings, the reader concludes that Mary is an innocent, loving wife that truly loves her husband and would do absolutely anything for him. But when Mary murders him after he decides to leave, situational irony appears. This is an example of situational irony because the reader would never expect Mary to murder her husband, but the exact opposite occurs. Dahl also uses situational irony as an example of language. The language makes the story more intriguing and exciting. The situational irony is used in the story to shock the reader and to create the climax of the plot.

Ray Bradbury creates irony in order to warn the reader of a depressed drug ridden society filled with the unknown. This is shown with Montag, being a firefighter, his job is to start fires instead of putting them out, except they're burning books. In the beginning of the novel, "...Guy Montag joyously goes about his job... and Bradbury describes Montag's hands with ironic majesty," to show that his mind has been brainwashed to believe that he is happy. (McGiveron 1). Except, he is depressed about everything he has missed out on in life. Secondly, it is demonstrated through Montag believing he is happy, that is until he meets Clarisse. When Clarisse asks Montag a plethora of questions about how Montag decided to be a firefighter, "He felt his body divide itself... the two halves grinding upon one another," (Bradbury 21). He feels something he's never felt before, curiosity, he thought he was happy with his everyday life, but after meeting Clarisse, he realizes that he is missing out on a lot of things. Lastly, it is presented through Mildred always seeming happy. As Mildred constantly seems happy that she is married to Montag, she is secretly trying to kill herself, with a "...small crystal bottle of sleeping tablets... lay uncapped and empty," (Bradbury 11). While everyone in the society seems depressed, there is also an underlying event taking place in the background of the novel.

Edith Wharton’s “Roman Fever” and Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” are the result of two “realistic” writers wishing to change the perspectives of how women should be viewed and treated. In “The Story of an Hour,” Chopin writes about Mrs. Mallard who is a woman desperate for her own thoughts and identity, at the time this concept was untraditional and not accepted. Like Chopin, in “Roman Fever” Wharton calls emphasis to the hidden secrets and feelings held by women at the time. In her writing, Chopin uses various literary devices to play an important role in conveying her message, these devices are also used by Wharton in “Roman Fever.” Irony is a predominant literary device used in both of these works, for example when Chopin states “When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease—of joy that kills” (1611). This is ironic because the reader knows she didn’t die of joy, but rather from seeing the glimpse of her husband and knowing she had lost the freedom she so desired. The first sign of irony Wharton uses is in the title, “Roman Fever,” which is an old name for malaria. However, that’s only the surface meaning as the deeper meaning symbolizes Mrs. Slade’s disease-like jealousy she has hidden for years over Mrs. Ansley. Both Edith Wharton and Kate Chopin were very influential authors of the time and brought out suppressed issues in their works to be acknowledged and challenged by society.

In “Night” by Elie Wiesel, we see the miserable side of irony as Eliezer and his family continue to discover that reality is much, much worse than they ever imagined. In “Night” irony refers to the sad and terrifying departure between expectations and reality. Throughout the story, the characters continue to be shocked by the terribleness of their situation and try to see hope in each change. The author’s father, Mr.Wiesel, makes the wrong decision by not trusting the way out and it costs him his life. In this story the author uses three different types of irony which are verbal, situational, and dramatic irony.

Bradbury uses irony to exemplify the raw and true emotions that people hide from society result in a decline in society. Montag showed his happiness in disguise and was unsatisfied with society, but hoped for true happiness. ¨We have everything we need to be happy, but we aren't happy.¨ In our minds, the despairing thoughts tend to empower the brighter ones as they are more challenging to our lives. The better factors in our life are present but we often choose to focus on the bad ones. For example, if someone was to receive bad news prior to good news, the tragic thoughts would taunt them for the rest of the day; thus, getting rid of the slightest happy thought they felt beforehand. This relates back to Montag because the way he chooses to conceal his real feelings

Kate Chopin uses irony in her stories to show true emotion. It is also used to show feelings as well. Throughout her short story "The Storm," several examples of irony come forth, whether it be verbal, situational, or dramatic, it aids us to stay focused on the story by keeping it interesting.

Irony is common in realist novels that reveal the fall and/or rise of characters among other aspects. It is mostly shown at the end which is usually tragic but tell readers the fate of the characters. Realist novels have plausible events, with cause and effect in their stories — what the characters desire and the consequences they receive because of that. Realism in the novel, The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, was clearly shown through Lily Bart's character with its ironic ending that had both her fall and rise as a character. She was known for her beauty in the novel; she made various mistakes in the process of entering the high social status. Her physical beauty was not enough to establish herself in society if her name was not

Great writers convey their message without bluntly stating it to their audience. Hardy’s insightful poetry conjures the minds of his audience and encourages them to reflect on how inhumane the social classes were and how poorly women were treated without every saying it. Because of its’ simplicity and relatability Hardy’s clever use of an everyday conversation between two women is more powerful than any lengthy lecture or straightforward statement he could have given.

Throughout the poem, “The Ruined Maid” , Melia who represents the ‘ruined’ maid literally shows us a different version of what it means to be ruined. A former country maiden, now turned- into an illustrious town girl, Melia, happens to meet with an old friend of hers who is from the country like her. Being a country girl, she is filled with admiration and envy upon seeing Melia - as though she was seeing her in a new light. When Melia is asked by her friend as to how she became so prosperous, Melia in turn asks her if she hadn’t known that Melia had been ruined. Melia’s friend then points out various instances of the life that Melia had lived through as a country girl.

Dramatic irony is a valuable tool used by writers in literary works in order to engage the audience in the works and to add a level complexity to the characters. Dramatic irony is understood by the audience, but not the characters. With this particular type of irony, the writer makes the audience more involved and they are able to empathize more with the characters in the works. Although the character may be heavily disliked, dramatic irony can cause the viewer to feel a sense of empathy as though they were in the same situation. With this technique, the character may also seem more real and relatable. And more often than not, when dramatic irony is used, the viewer will be put in a position of helplessness. In A Doll House, Ibsen takes advantage of this technique and utilizes heavy amounts of dramatic irony with his characters, especially Torvald, in order to engross the audience and also to place the audience in a position where they are hopeless, which could

Jane Austen develops a strong illustration of how challenging emotional circumstances can initiate a change in character, using Elizabeth Bennet as an effective demonstration in Pride and Prejudice. Cases such as Mr. Darcy's proposal, Charlotte's marriage, and the discovery of Mr. Wickham's past are compelling support for Austen's idea that alterations to one's behaviour and actions can occur as a result of being placed in a strenuous emotional position. Each influences Elizabeth in a different way, some causing rapid change, while others cause a slower, more gradual one. Self-reflection and the reconsideration of a character's worldview allow Austen to highlight the importance of change in trying situations.

First, the authors show readers irony through the customs that the isolated characters bring with them from their previous homes. Ideally, the setting that Maria and all the boys come from represents civilization and order. It is seen that in the beginning, the character’s actions still reflect their previous home. This is ironic because in a few cases, these actions are far from civilized; they actually represent they inherent wrongness in all humans. In

Austen uses irony to provoke gentle, whimsical laughter and to make veiled, bitter observations as well; in her hands' irony is an extremely effective device for moral evaluation: " She has Elizabeth say that she hopes she will never laugh at what is wise or good."  (Austen 143)