Use of Situational Irony in The Season of Divorce

672 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Situational irony the crucible

Use of Situational Irony in The Season of Divorce

John Cheever's "The Season of Divorce" could be viewed as nothing more than a story of hopeless love, a tale of something that could never be. It is through the author’s use of tone in the story that a theme deeper than simple forbidden desire is conveyed. The situation between Ethyl and her husband, the narrator, reflects one of hidden resentment; a product of imposed societal stresses. Through the use of situational irony, Cheever gives the reader a feeling of instability and hopelessness found in a seemingly secure setting, this being a marriage of rather longstanding. With his descriptions of people and places, the deliberations of the characters and the dialogue in the story, the author's tone lends an atmosphere of despair.

Situational irony is encountered everywhere in the description. It the way in which Cheever gives the descrptions themselves that an feeling of entrapment and despondency emerges. Dr. Trencher and his wife are a prime example. While the doctor is described as blue-eyed and young, his wif...

Show More
Related

  • Hyper-Irony In The Pilot Episode Of Modern Family

    871 Words  | 2 Pages

    Family comedies have evolved throughout the past century. What was once revered as classic has completely changed forms and turned into the comedic experience we witness today. Family sitcoms in particular have been converted to show a broader picture of how family’s interact in today’s world. This greatly appeals to today’s audiences and is what people want to see. Modern family specifically has tapped into what nontraditional families are all about and even with being so alternative has resonated with every type of family, making it one of the most popular shows on TV at the present moment. The pilot episode of Modern Family uses hyper-irony, allusions and uses references to technology to enforce comedic impact.

    Read More

  • St. Mark's Gospel and the Nature of Discipleship

    790 Words  | 2 Pages

    To be a true disciple of Jesus one must not disown or deny Jesus but

    Read More

  • Edgar Allan Poe's The Cask of the Amontillado

    1509 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "dramatic irony (literature)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. .

    Read More

  • Nancy Mairs, Andre Dubus, Harriet McBryde Johnson: Disability

    1916 Words  | 4 Pages

    What comes into one’s mind when they are asked to consider physical disabilities? Pity and embarrassment, or hope and encouragement? Perhaps a mix between the two contrasting emotions? The average, able-bodied person must have a different perspective than a handicapped person, on the quality of life of a physically disabled person. Nancy Mairs, Andre Dubus, and Harriet McBryde Johnson are three authors who shared their experiences as physically handicapped adults. Although the three authors wrote different pieces, all three essays demonstrate the frustrations, struggles, contemplations, and triumphs from a disabled person’s point of view and are aimed at a reader with no physical disability.

    Read More

  • The Meaning of Discipleship

    1357 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Meaning of Discipleship In this piece of coursework I will be writing about the meaning of

    Read More

  • The Psychological Impact of Terrorist Attacks

    2449 Words  | 5 Pages

    Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and acute stress disorder (ASD) are two stress disorders that occur after a traumatizing experience. PTSD is defined as a disorder that follows a distressing event outside the range of normal human experience and that is characterized by features such as intense fear, avoidance of stimuli associated with the event, and reliving the event. Acute stress disorder is defined as a disorder that is characterized by feelings of anxiety and helplessness and caused by a traumatic event. It also usually occurs within a month of the event and lasts from 2 days to 4 weeks. Dealing with experiences like the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 and the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks in 2001 were difficult for people and easily classified as traumatizing experiences. For times like these when a large number of people experience a traumatizing experience and will probably develop PTSD or ASD, there is no precedent for how to treat them. The only tool that can be used at these times is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), to classify the disorder. No real solution exists for a treatment process for an incident of this scale. The three journal articles I will be using show statistical data about how people dealt with these experiences and what percent of them developed PTSD or ASD. They also show how many people showed signs of these disorders but never contacted a professional to help treat it. Even as far away as Brussels, expatriates of the United States felt the effects of the attacks of September 11th.

    Read More

  • Discipleship

    3066 Words  | 7 Pages

    These five men responded immediately to Jesus and this is very surprising as he is a man who they have never met before. It is quite clear that this idea of discipleship for the first disciples is very important and that Jesus is planning on building his faith in them and he wants them to spread the word around to the people. (Mark 3:14)

    Read More

  • Situational Irony In The Most Dangerous Game By Richard Cornell

    553 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the historic course of literature, one story known as “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Cornell has incorporated specific types of irony for multiple differing and fundamental reasons. Situational irony is the first use of ironic elements that will be discussed in regards to the story. Situational irony is defined as “an incongruity that appears between the expectations of something to happen, and what actually happens instead ” (literarydevices.net). The story’s climax offers a unique twist to the plot as it includes an unexpected discovery, ultimately incorporating situational irony into the sequence of events. The story starts out with the introduction of the legendary hunter Bob Rainsford as he is shipwrecked and trapped on a deserted island. While staying on the island, Rainsford is introduced to the eccentric General Zaroff, who is a self proclaimed expert hunter as well. In short, the General turns out to be a sadistic psychopath who forces Rainsford into a game of “cat and mouse”, which causes Rainsford to fight for his life. This state of affair is considered to be situational irony because Zaroff defies the expectations of being a hunter to the audience. This is specifically shown in the text when Rainsford confronts General Zaroff in regards to what he is hunting:

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Mere Discipleship

    1190 Words  | 3 Pages

    After reading through this book, I feel that my thoughts on what Christian discipleship should be have been reinforced and somehow cleared up. Discipleship is central to Christian faith and practice because it is how the Christian message is shared with the world. Christian discipleship is not just about spreading the Word of God; it is also showing the world what being a Christian really is. Discipleship-focused faith should demonstrate how God’s Word is for everyone and knows no boundaries whether they are race, language, country, size, gender, etc. Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world, therefore, His sacrifice it to be shared with the world through our actions, as always, actions speak louder than words.

    Read More

  • Use of Irony in Othello

    721 Words  | 2 Pages

    the play, it seemed that Othello was the only one who didn't know the truth.

    Read More

  • Service User Involvement and Participation

    2635 Words  | 6 Pages

    This essay response will focus on justifying why service user involvement / participation is important in the development of services for adults. To understand this, I will first look into the ideological principles that have shifted social work practice towards user participation before looking at the different ways these concepts have played out, with a particular focus on service users with disabilities. Service user ‘involvement’ and ‘participation’ in social work practice is underpinned by the fundamental values that services should be ‘user-centred’, ‘user led’ and ‘needs led’ (Warren, 2008). I have chosen to focus on adults with disabilities because there has been much recent development and policies put into place for this group of people. However, they are still considered one of the most vulnerable groups in society (Kemshall and Littlechild, 2000. The meaning of disability is a contested concep...

    Read More

  • Theme Of Irony In Trifles

    1010 Words  | 3 Pages

    Susan Gable’s Trifles is focused on discovering the killer of a local farmer in the twentieth century. In this play the amount of irony is abundant and the irony always relates to solving the murder. The two types of irony that are most easily discerned in Trifles are verbal and situational irony. Irony is when an author uses words or a situation to convey the opposite of what they truly mean. Verbal irony is when a character says one thing but they mean the other. This can be seen in the way the men dismiss the women. Situational irony is when the setting is the opposite of what one would think it would be for what the play is. This is seen through the setting being in a kitchen and various other aspects of the

    Read More

  • Dramatic Irony In The Story Of An Hour

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    Irony can often be found in many literary works. “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin is masterfully written full of irony. The characters of the short story, Mrs. Mallard, Josephine, Richards, Mr. Brently Mallard, and the doctors all find their way into Chopin’s ironic twists. Chopin embodies various ironies in “The Story of an Hour” through representations of verbal irony, dramatic irony, and situational irony.

    Read More

  • Disability Research Paper

    1586 Words  | 4 Pages

    Persons with disabilities are exposed to societal barriers which affect them greatly in terms of belonging in society. It is important to examine social policies surrounding persons with disabilities to educate people along with eliminating the issues altogether. Persons with disabilities confront discrimination daily, nearly everywhere in society because of new and old negative stigmas. Prejudice is most often seen in persons with disabilities towards women, employment, housing, recreational activities, education along with politics and multiple more matters. Discrimination against women with disabilities, employment and housing will be examined thoroughly throughout this paper. Thun states women are at a greater disadvantage when labelled

    Read More

  • Irony in Everyday Life

    412 Words  | 1 Pages

    In general, the discrepancy between appearances and reality is ironic. Irony is encountered throughout our daily activities and comes in many forms; verbal, situational. and the cosmic. Verbal irony is the most familiar kind, this occurs when we understand that.

    Read More

More about Use of Situational Irony in The Season of Divorce

Open Document