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Situational Irony In Short Story

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Authors use irony, conflict and characterization in short stories to catch the attention of readers. Situational irony is used to create suspense in the stories. Conflict is used to create an active plot that involves person vs. person and person vs. self conflict. In short stories, characterization is used by dialog and direct characterization to create character personalities. “The Most Dangerous Game”, “Scarlet Ibis” and “Gift of the Magi” all use irony, conflict and characterization to engage the readers. In “The Most Dangerous Game”, “Scarlet Ibis” and “Gift of the Magi,” irony is used situationally to create a fascinating plot. In Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game”, situational irony is used when Rainsford figures out that Zaroff hunts humans. Rainsford says, “But they are men,” Zaroff replies, “Precisely, That is why I use them” (Connell 17). This is a huge plot twist because the reader would assume that he would hunt some sort of animal. In “Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, there is situational irony when brother comes back for Doodle to find him dead. This added greatly to make the plot more complex. Lastly, situational irony is used in “Gift of the Magi” when Della and …show more content…

Richard Connell describes Ivan as being “… the largest man Rainsford had ever seen – a gigantic creature, solidly made and black bearded to the waist” (Connell 12). The readers can now imagine what Ivan’s personality would resemble. James Hurst writes that “Doodle was just about the craziest brother a boy could have” (Hurst 46). This tells the reader about Doodles upbeat attitude. Lastly, O. Henry describes Della as poor and loving. Her personality reflects that and shows that she is not a wealthy person. Characterization is used greatly in “The Most Dangerous Game”, “Scarlet Ibis” and “Gift of the Magi” is used to construct character

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