My Oedipus Complex

There are many types of irony used within this story. Two of the most common are situational and dramatic irony. Situational irony refers to when the expected outcome of an action doesn’t happen and the character is surprised by the improbable outcome. The character Larry experiences this irony when he repeatedly gets the very thing he has wished for only to hate the result. The story opens with the irony of him resenting the return of his father despite that being the very thing he has been praying for daily. This literary element adds intrigue to the story because the reader does not know what else could happen. For Larry, there is a satisfying return of this irony at the end of the story when he again gets what he has been hoping for, a sibling, only to be unhappy with Sonny.

Adding to the feeling of intrigue and humor that situational irony provides, dramatic irony adds tension. With a young narrator unable to grasp many of the nuances and truths that the mature reader is interested in, oftentimes the story introduces the dramatic irony where the audience knows something the character doesn’t. This dramatic irony communicates information to the reader and also creates a level of suspense as the reader must wait to see if or when the character will learn the truth. For Larry, his insistence on pushing his father out of his life is given weight by the financial needs of the family that Larry doesn’t know that his father needs to start providing. When Larry takes comfort in his Father’s absence or unhappiness, he doesn’t understand the real implications, while the reader does.

Throughout the story, O’Connor utilizes figurative language like similes to enrich Larry’s inner mind as he narrates. A simile compares two different concepts and often connects them by the phrase “like” or “as.” Rather than using other, more complicated metaphorical language, when placed in the young voice of Larry these comparisons come across as direct and simple. Larry is able to say he feels “rather like the sun” (12). Here, he takes something familiar to explain something more complicated. Alternatively, he describes this stranger of a father “like a mountain out for murder” (19). In both instances, Larry uses similes to catalog his surroundings and his feelings. This demonstrates his growing maturity, as he encounters the unfamiliar and must decide for himself how he feels about it. As Larry matures, he makes connections to the world around him in order to process his experiences.