Situational irony: three steps to shock your readers with ironic twists

So you figured out how to write a working story. You know you need a character in an environment with a problem. You know you need a series of try / fail cycles, followed by a climate scene and resolution. The structure is simple, but not always simple.

In particular, it can be difficult to maintain and escalate the dynamics of history through these try / fail cycles. And it would be nice to have something that gives your story a delicious taste band that gives brilliance and meaning.

Here is the good news – there is such a technique. It's called situational irony. In this article we will look at what it is made of and how you can construct it in your own work.

The pattern of situational irony

Patterns are an integral part of so many processes in life. Learning how to set patterns and when and how to break them is the key to learning many skills.

When it comes to situational irony, it's a good idea to create a three-tier pattern of cause and effect events. Readers are often enthusiastic about an ironic turn that begins towards the end of a story, but they are not always aware of the pattern that led to it.

To master this technique, you need to perceive the pattern.

Here are the three pattern elements you need to define:

Your character misreads a situation.
Your character acts because of this misunderstanding.
As a result, your character will experience unexpected consequences.

The pattern of situational irony: 1. A character perceives a situation incorrectly. 2. They act according to their misunderstanding. 3. You have unexpected consequences.

Examples of situational irony

One of the best known examples of the use of situational irony is O Henry's wonderful story "The Gift of the Kings". Della loves her husband Jim very much and:

Believes that the only way to get a gift worthy of it is to sacrifice its most valuable possession.
She sells her hair to buy him a watch tag for his valuable pocket watch.
As a result, his gift for her – a set of combs for her shiny hair – is useless. What is her gift for him since he sold his watch to buy their combs.

The nice irony is that the real gift is the real love and care they have for each other.

In Poe's story "The Tell-Tale Heart" the protagonist has:

Believe he is wise and intelligent with great powers of perception.
His powers lead him to murder the old man.
As a result, he is pushed over the edge and confesses to the unsuspecting police.

The irony is that his insanity made him commit the crime and confess it.

A page from Shakespeare's book

Shakespeare used situational irony in many of his pieces. Othello:

Was convinced by Iago that his wife Desdemona was unfaithful and cheated on him with another man.
He decides to murder her and executes his plan.
As a result, he loses a faithful wife and trusts a treacherous friend.

Another example of Shakespeare is Romeo and Juliet. The lovers have a plan to be together, but when executing their plan, important information does not reach Romeo and so:

He believes Julia is dead.
Overcome with unbearable grief, he poisoned himself.
When Juliet awakes from her sleep, she finds her lover dead beside her and kills herself.

The irony is that they are dead together.

A note about Romeo and Juliet: This can also be taken into account dramatic irony, a kind of irony where the reader has important information that the characters don't have. In this article, we look at the three-step pattern to create an ironic twist, and Romeo and Juliet definitely count.

Don't forget Disney

Disney films are full of great examples. In The Lion King (based on Hamlet, another one for William Shakespeare), Simba:

Believes to be responsible for Mufasa's death.
He banishes himself from the kingdom.
As a result, he leaves the kingdom under the control of the one who really killed the king.

In the little mermaid, Ariel:

Believes legs are the only thing that stands between her and wins Eric's love.
She casts her vote to Ursula in exchange for a pair of legs.
As a result, she has lost the quality that Eric is looking for, the method by which he expects to identify his true love.

Three steps to create a situational irony

In themselves, the incidents in these stories are not ironic, but put them together and put them in the right order, and they create wonderfully convincing irony. The recipe is simple, but not always easy to get to. However, if you pull it through, your story will get a powerful punch.

Here is the pattern you need to follow:

Set up the pattern by letting your character believe the opposite of what is true.
Then show the wrong idea of your character that makes him act.
Then show how this action led to unexpected consequences. Make sure you create a cause and effect relationship.

Closing remarks

The results of the irony need not be tragic. The unexpected consequences could be positive. The key is that the reader didn't see it coming, but because you've set the pattern, it will be believable and feel right.

Also, as always, make sure the reader takes care of your character before getting the ball rolling on the pattern. If the reader is not emotionally invested in your character, this technique loses much of its power.

And there you have it. Get out there and create some irony!

What about you? Can you imagine some examples of situational irony? Do you see a place for this in your own letter? Tell us about it in the comments.

WORK OUT

Construct a pattern that you can use to create situational irony. Start with a character in an environment with a problem. Think about your own scenario or use one of the following prompts to formulate the three steps:

A character who believes the opposite of what is true
affects this misunderstanding,
As a result, there are unexpected consequences.

Tristan, chased by enemies, has to come through the desert.

Cassandra has to find her lost lover in a strange city.

Bernard must free the farm from moles or risk losing his job.

Morgan has to find a way to land his broken plane.

Write for fifteen minutes. When you're done, post your work in the comments. And be sure to give feedback for your co-authors!

Joslyn Chase

Every day she can send readers to the edge of their seats, tingling with tension and chewing their fingernails on the knob, is a good day for Joslyn. Get her latest thriller, Steadman & # 39; s Blind, an explosive read that lets you leaf through to the end. What leads a man to murder, their collection of short suspense, is available for free at joslynchase.com.