Comparing Richard Cory And The Story Of An Hour

There are four types of irony, verbal, situational, cosmic, and dramatic. There are situations in life that are ironic and it sometimes compares to a story. “Richard Cory” and “The Story of an Hour” are two stories that compare in the irony given.. The two stories resemble each other and they also resemble life in some situations.

In Robinson’s poem, Richard Cory is someone who is admired by others. The poem explains his grace and his admirable traits, “and he was rich- yes, richer than a king- and admirably schooled in every grace: in fine, we thought that he was everything to make us wish that we were in his place” (line 9-12). Every one desired to be Richard Cory, except him, himself. The observers of Cory were poor and “went without the

meat, and cursed the bread” (line 14). Richard Cory “went home and put a bullet through his head” (line 16). This is a realistic situational irony because of the envy others gave Richard Cory even though he was unhappy with his own life.
“The Story of an Hour,” by Kate Chopin, also had a situational irony setting.

Mrs. Mallard, in the story, had heart trouble and was carefully let down when they had discovered her husband’s death. Chopin said, “She sat with her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, quite motionless, except when a sob came up into her throat and shook her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in its dreams” (307). Throughout the entire story the reader is lead to believe she is sad over her husband’s death; when in reality she feels free again and she cries tears of joy. The story continues to tell the reader about Mrs. Mallard’s grievance, “She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death; the face that had never looked save with love upon her, fixed and gray and dead. But she had saw beyond that bitter moment a long with love upon her fixed and gray and dead. But her absolutely” (Chopin 307). Mrs. Mallard looked forward to being free from her husband even though she loved him sometimes. She kept whispering, “free! Body and soul free!” (Chopin 308). As her sister thought she was weeping tears of sadness, Mrs. Mallard was happy. As Mrs. Mallard collected herself, she and her sister walked down to the bottom of the stairs together. The door began to open, it was her husband Brentley Mallard, and Mrs. Mallard passed away from “hear disease- of joy that kills” (Chopin 308). The situational irony in this story is Mrs. Mallard

believes her husband is dead and rejoiced on the freedom that she now had, then Brentley Mallard walks in and she passes away because she was so upset he was not dead.
Life also has a situational irony. There are situations given every day where someone thinks one thing is going to happen, but the complete opposite happens. Although life is unpredictable, it is still easy to point out the irony that occurs on a daily basis.
In “Richard Cory” and “The Story of an Hour,” the situational irony that occurs is quite similar. Both stories start out one way and the outcome changes to the opposite of what the reader expects to happen. . In the poem, “Richard Cory,” his life was valued and envied by others, but he was not satisfied with his own life, and in “The Story of an Hour,” she was happy for her husband’s death, but then died when she found out he was not dead.
In both stories the reader is led to believe in one thing while the complete opposite was the outcome, this is also comparable to life situations.