The not so funny, clever hah… irony The not so funny, clever hah…

Examples from short stories… “Most Dangerous Game” 1) the fact that Rainsford, being a hunter, became the hunted; 2) Rainsford didn't care about the prey he hunted and how they felt, but in the end, he realized how an animal at bay felt; and 3) the setting, Ship-Trap Island, is used by the general as a means of trapping ships “The Lottery” One would be the fact that villagers are taking part in a lottery which suggests that they are going to win a prize, when in fact they get death. There is also a point in the story where the villagers are discussing one of the the nearby villages giving up the lottery and one of the characters "Old Man Warner" says "Next thing you know, they'll be wanting to go back to living in caves." This is ironic because Old Man Warner is alluding to cavemen, who would do something barbaric like stone people to death. There is also the fact that Jackson sets up the whole story as if it were a cheerful, everyday event when it is the complete opposite. “The Cast of the Amontillado” The Title: The word cask, meaning wine barrel, is derived from the same root word used to form casket, meaning coffin. Thus, the cask figuratively represents Fortunato’s casket. Fortunato’s Name: The Italian name Fortunato suggests good fortune, luck. However, Fortunato is anything but fortunate; he is going to his death. Fortunato’s Costume: Fortunato dresses as a court jester. His festive outfit contrasts with the ghastly fate that awaits him. From time to time, the bell on his cone-shaped hat jingles–a nice comic touch from Poe. Reference to Masons: Fortunato asks Montresor whether his is a mason, meaning a member of the fraternal order of Freemasonry. Montresor says he is indeed a mason. However, he is using the word to mean a craftsman who builds with stone and mortar (because he will be building Fortunato’s “tomb,” a stone wall.)

More short stories irony… “The Necklace” There is situational irony. The readers and Mathilde do not expect for the necklace to be fake. Also, the first several paragraphs are spent describing Mathilde's desire to be rich. Although she is not as wealthy as Madame Forestier, the Loisel's are not dirt poor; they do have a maid and a cook. But because of Mathilde's desire to be rich or to seem rich, they end up actually becoming poor. “The Lady of the Tiger” The ironic structure of the story--it has no end, for example--highlights the irony present in the story: (1) the princess and not the criminal is the story's true loser; (2) the king, despite the outward appearance of sophistication is, at heart, a cruel semibarbarian; (3) the princess deliberates for days on whether or not to save her lover