Greg Facchine
AP English Literature and Composition
“Unit 1 literary analysis”
10/29/09
Examples of Irony in Literary Fiction
Why did the chicken cross the road? If you have never heard this joke before then you are
probably expecting some cheesy but clever answer, but as most of us know the simple answer is
“to get to the other side.” Although this is a very rudimentary example, it is still a form of irony.
When the audience hears this joke they expect a funny yet clever punch line, but in reality the
response is both logical and boring. Irony is used by many fictional writers as a tool to elicit a
certain emotional response from the reader. The stories, “Everyday Use” and “The Kugelmass
Episode,” exhibit many forms of irony which induce a certain emotional reaction to the story.
Fictional story writers like to utilize irony in association with humor as a literary
implement, which conveys a greater meaning indirectly. There are many different forms of irony.
All types of irony involve some sort of divergence or inconsistency. In literature irony is usually
used to create an impact on the reader. It forces the reader to think and become involved in the
interpretation of the story. Sometimes, fictional writings use irony to achieve realistic human
experiences. These human experiences and interpretations are essential to competent literary
fiction. The different forms of irony can be used to achieve different literary meanings. Although
irony can come in many different forms, the three most common found in literary fiction are:
verbal, dramatic, and situational.
Verbal irony occurs when a speaker says the opposite of what they intended to. It is
usually very similar to sarcasm. Dramatic irony in literary fiction is the difference between what
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a character is thinking or speaking and what the readers discern to be true. Situational irony is
where there is a difference between anticipation and actuality. Situational irony is the most
common form of irony found in literature. All three forms of irony can be combined to form an
artistic literary masterpiece.
“Everyday Use” demonstrates many examples of irony. “Everyday Use” is a story about
a deprived African-American mother who has two daughters. The mother is a hardworking
farmer who has raised her family in a worn down house. Dee, one of the daughters, is always
brilliant and witty while the other daughter, Maggie, is unintelligent and simple. Dee has gone to
college while Maggie stays at home with the mother. Years later, Dee comes home to visit with
her boyfriend. Dee wants items that have ancestral meaning of her heritage. She believes that
these common day objects have aesthetic values. When Dee claims the quilts, which were meant
for Maggie, it causes their mother to stand up to Dee for the first time. The author of “Everyday
Use” uses potent irony as a way of to create an effective theme (Walker 166).
The first example of irony in this story is the fact that because the mother and Maggie are
so poor and uneducated, it would be expected that Dee is similar. However, Dee is quite the
opposite. This is a case of situational irony because Dee does not fulfill the role that would be
expected of her. This large educational difference between Dee and her family begins to set up a
conflict.
Another example of situational irony is when Dee first visits. When she gets out of the
car, she begins to take pictures of the house. Previously, the story explained that Dee despised
their house during adolescence. The mother never would have expected her to allow her friends
to see it, let alone take pictures of it. This is situational irony because Dee is doing something
that is not consistent with her character. This instance of irony shows the reader that Dee is home
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for other reasons than a simple family visit. It supports the idea later on that Dee has returned to
take things so that she can artistically display her heritage.
The case of irony that best supports the greater meaning of the story occurs near the end.
After Mama refuses to allow Dee to take the quilts that were originally intended for Maggie, Dee
says, "You just don't understand." Mama then replies "What don't I understand?" Then Dee
responds "Your heritage"(Walker 174). After reading deeper into the story, there is bitter sweet
dramatic irony in this statement. Earlier in the story, it is explained that Maggie remembers
quilting with her deceased ancestors. Maggie has sat and talked with them about their
experiences. It implies that due to these connections, Maggie has a better understanding of her
heritage and ancestry. When Dee accuses Mama and Maggie of not understanding their heritage,
it is ironic because Dee is the truly ignorant one. This is dramatic irony because the reader knows
that Dee is actually the one who is ignorant about her heritage, while Maggie is truly more
knowledgeable.
While “Everyday Use” uses irony to stress a specific meaning, “The Kugelmass Episode”
uses irony more for humor. “The Kugelmass Episode” is about a man who is discontented with
his life. He is unhappily married, so he goes to see a magician. The magician has a magical box
that allows him to travel into a book and interact with its characters. Kugelmass goes into a story
to have an affair. He then decides to bring his mistress back into the real world with him. After
he does this the box breaks and the mistress cannot go back to the novel. As the magician is
fixing the box, Kugelmass begins fighting with his mistress. After the box is fixed and the
mistress is sent back Kugelmass vows to never have an affair again. He then breaks his vow and
goes back to the magician to have another affair. During his second attempt he ends up in a
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Spanish book while being chased by the Spanish verb tener. This story is not only creative and
comical; it also contains hints of irony (Allen 348).
“The Kugelmass Episode” demonstrates dramatic irony throughout the story. When
Kugelmass enters the novel Madame Bovary he alters the plot and story line of this historical
piece of literature. This in turn has altered all of the “Madame Bovary” novels in the world,
which begins to create suspicious readers and literature professors. This aspect of the book
creates a humorous tone because Kugelmass is completely oblivious to the fact that he has just
altered the history of literature. This case of irony is dramatic because throughout the story the
author strays outside the main plot to explain the impact of the changed book. Therefore, the
reader knows the effect of Kugelmass’s excursions in literary novels, while Kugelmass remains
unaware. This example of irony adds humor to the story.
The most obvious and comical instance of irony in “The Kugelmass Episode” is in the
end when Kugelmass is being chased by the verb tener. Throughout the story Kugelmass always
wants more and more. He is never satisfied with what he has. For example, he cheats on his wife
for a fictional character because his marriage has lost its lust. He is not satisfied with the wife he
has and desires more. The verb tener in Spanish means “to have” in English. This is ironic
because all through the story he wants more things, but in the end he is doomed to being chased
by tener forever. Kugelmass’s constant greed for more things is what starts to develop the theme
of the story. The author uses irony at the end to conclude the theme of the story. In this instance
irony adds both humor and thematic influence.
Irony is essential to fictional writings because it creates an emphasis on the theme of the
story. Irony is an important literary element that is used for entertainment and creating a deeper
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meaning that causes a reader to think. “Everyday Use” and “The Kugelmass Episode”
demonstrate multiple types and uses of irony. Without irony it literature would not be the same.
Work cited
Allen, Woody. "The Kugelmass Episode." Perrines Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense.
Eds. Thomas R. Arp and Greg Johnson. 9th ed. Boston: Michael Rosenberg, 2006. 16674. Print.
Walker, Allice . "Everyday Use." Perrines Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. Eds. Thomas
R. Arp and Greg Johnson. 9th ed. Boston: Michael Rosenberg, 2006. 166-74. Print.