Question

Hulga's perspective on life is ironic, but she is also the subject of O'Connor's irony. Explain how O'Connor uses irony to reveal Hulga's character.

a) Through dramatic irony, where the audience knows more about Hulga than she knows about herself.
b) By employing situational irony, highlighting the unexpected twists in Hulga's experiences.
c) Using verbal irony, O'Connor contrasts Hulga's beliefs with the reality of her situation.
d) All of the above.

Answer 1

O'Connor uses irony in multiple ways to reveal Hulga's character. Through dramatic irony, the audience knows more about Hulga than she knows about herself. By employing situational irony, O'Connor highlights the unexpected twists in Hulga's experiences. Using verbal irony, O'Connor contrasts Hulga's beliefs with the reality of her situation.

Step-by-step explanation:

O'Connor uses irony in multiple ways to reveal Hulga's character. First, through dramatic irony, the audience knows more about Hulga than she knows about herself. For example, the audience may be aware of Hulga's arrogance and intellectual superiority, while she remains oblivious to them. Second, O'Connor employs situational irony, highlighting the unexpected twists in Hulga's experiences. For instance, Hulga's attempt to seduce Manly Pointer, the bible salesman, backfires and she ends up being deceived and humiliated. Lastly, O'Connor uses verbal irony to contrast Hulga's beliefs with the reality of her situation. Hulga sees herself as intellectually superior and invulnerable, but in reality, she is vulnerable and easily manipulated. Therefore, the correct answer is d) All of the above.