My Oedipus Complex Irony

Irony is defined as an event or dialogue that is the opposite of what is expected.
There are three types of irony: situational, dramatic, and verbal, and authors use these types of irony to create mood. Dramatic irony is when the reader knows something the characters in the story don’t, while situational irony is a situation where the opposite of what one would expect happens. Irony is used in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe, “My Oedipus Complex” by Frank O’ Connor, and “History Lesson” by Arthur C. Clarke. In “The Cask of Amontillado,” Poe uses dramatic irony to create a suspenseful mood, while in “My Oedipus Complex,” irony is used to create a funny mood, and in “History Lesson,” irony is used to reveal the theme. In “The …show more content…
“My Oedipus Complex” is told through the voice of young Larry, whose father has just come home from war. While Larry’s father was away at war, Larry’s mother told him that she wasn’t able to have a baby because they didn’t have enough money. Larry is confused by this and says that, “The Geneys up the road had a baby, and everyone knew they couldn’t afford seventeen and six. It was probably a cheap baby, and Mother wanted something really good, but I felt she was too exclusive. The Geneys’ baby would have done us fine” (65). This is dramatic irony and is supposed to be comical for the reader because readers are well aware of why the mother can’t have a child, but Larry is completely naive to how having a baby works. When Larry’s father does come home, Larry is jealous because has always had his mother to himself, therefore he is unwilling to share his mother with his father. Larry is envious that he can’t lie next to his mother anymore and so he says, "Mummy...I think it would be healthier for Daddy to sleep in his own bed" (68). This creates a humorous mood, because readers are aware that this is the father’s bed and he has every right to sleep in it next to his wife, however Larry is young and naive and therefore doesn’t understand this concept. Another concept that Larry doesn’t understand is the relationship between a mother and her son. He says that he wants to ‘“... to marry [her]… It’ll be very nice...Because [they’re] going to have lots and lots of babies" (71). This is dramatic irony that creates a humorous mood because readers understand that this is not the relationship that a mother and son are supposed to have, and it is funny that Larry, who is so naive, thinks like this. O’Connor choose to write his story using dramatic irony because it creates an enjoyable

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