Satire and Situational Irony in The Overcoat and Two Friends Ali Ameur 10th Grade

At first glance, the two short stories, “The Overcoat” by Nikolai Gogol and “Two Friends” by Maupassant seem like two anecdotal overviews of the general society at the time. But in fact, these two short stories are very critical and provide a great insight through the use situational irony and satire to highlight and bring forward issues in the societal complex at the time. In the first story by Gogol, a shabby young man is placed in Czarist Russia, in the biting and harsh winter of St. Petersburg. He is of a very low rank in the multi-layered and intricate web we call Russian bureaucracy. Satire, especially in the ridiculing domain, is employed to showcase the vices in the system and what was then contemporary politics. Moving into the second story, Maupassant tells the tale of two French men during the Franco-Prussian War. These two men, out of desperation, went out fishing near Prussian troops to later meet their death at the ultimatum of a Prussian officer. Ironic elements are purposed, especially situational irony, in conjunction with satire to provide a thoughtful look at the desires of the French public while criticizing the political structure at the time. These two stories effectively incorporates naturalistic elements...