2,138
18
Research Paper, 2 pages (350 words)

The dusk

Norman Gortsby sits on a park bench at dusk, a time when, in his estimation, individuals who have experienced defeat in their lives can sojourn unrecognized. An elderly gentleman sits nexts to Gortsby, and Gortsby judges him to be a lonely person of no consequence. After a short time, the old man leaves, and his place is taken by a younger man, better dressed than his predecessor but equally downcast. The man tells Gortsby a sad story of having gone out to buy some soap, then not having been able to find his hotel.

Gortsby responds that he had once done the same thing, only in a foreign country, to which the man rejoins that in a foreign land, one could go to the Consul for help, but here at home, there is no help to be had, unless ” some decent chap” would believe his story and lend him somemoney. Gortsby says he will lend the man some money if he can produce the soap as proof that his story is true, but the man cannot, and walks away.

Looking on the ground, Gortsby spies a new bar of soap, goes after the man, and lends him the money. When he returns to the park bench, however, the elderly gentleman who was sitting next to him originally is searching the ground for a lost bar of soap. Two elements of humor that the author uses in this story are comic irony and satire. Comic irony occurs when the reader knows something that a character does not, and in this story is evidenced when the young man drolly ends his sad tale with a veiled request for mone.

The man obviously has told his story to make Gortsby feel sorry for him and lend him some money, but Gortsby does not know for sure that his story is a lie. Satire is the use of humor to expose a human frailty. Gortsby’s inability to judge his counterparts correctly is comically pointed out in his unstated chagrin when he discovers that, through his own miscalculation, he has allowed the young man to outwit him with his sad story of woe.

Thank's for Your Vote!
The dusk. Page 1
The dusk. Page 2
The dusk. Page 3

This work, titled "The dusk" was written and willingly shared by a fellow student. This sample can be utilized as a research and reference resource to aid in the writing of your own work. Any use of the work that does not include an appropriate citation is banned.

If you are the owner of this work and don’t want it to be published on AssignBuster, request its removal.

Request Removal
Cite this Research Paper

References

AssignBuster. (2021) 'The dusk'. 19 December.

Reference

AssignBuster. (2021, December 19). The dusk. Retrieved from https://assignbuster.com/the-dusk/

References

AssignBuster. 2021. "The dusk." December 19, 2021. https://assignbuster.com/the-dusk/.

1. AssignBuster. "The dusk." December 19, 2021. https://assignbuster.com/the-dusk/.


Bibliography


AssignBuster. "The dusk." December 19, 2021. https://assignbuster.com/the-dusk/.

Work Cited

"The dusk." AssignBuster, 19 Dec. 2021, assignbuster.com/the-dusk/.

Get in Touch

Please, let us know if you have any ideas on improving The dusk, or our service. We will be happy to hear what you think: [email protected]