Essay Questions

Which irony is depicted by the narrator when saying, “He was no Joltin’ Joe, no Sultan of Swat, no Iron Man. For one thing, his feet hurt.”?

When the narrator describes Don Quixote, the satire of comparison emerges in a simulated heroic style. According to the narrator, Don resembles Hector from a positive perspective. The reader comprehends that Don's qualities cannot match Hector's heroic traits, but the author insists that Don has mythically epic heroic attributes. The controversial comparison between Don and Hector increased the author's popularity, and his booked emerged as one of the best-selling narratives globally. It is not surprising that most of Boyle's books are used in literature in most learning institutions.

What is the irony of the short story ‘Greasy Lake?

This short story is satirical in the sense that it has a hidden meaning. For instance, the reader expects the 'Greasy Lake' to have some hidden connotation that represents the characters' ambitions. The greasy lake is perceived as dangerous because there is no living organism that can survive in it. From the beginning of the story, the characters are trying to prove that they are hazardous, which increases the reader's motivation to continue reading the story to see what they are up to. Satirically, towards the end of the story, the characters themselves realize that they are not dangerous. Ironically, the story ends while the characters wish that they were dangerous.

What is the central theme in 'The Short Stories of T.C. Boyle' by T.C. Boyle?

The central theme of this book is sarcasm, since Boyle narrates his short stories from a sarcastic perspective. Most of his book's storylines are ironic because the reader has to go an extra mile to think and uncover the meaning. Boyle's tactical writing style has attracted many learning institutions to adopt his books as part of their English curriculum to boost their learning critical thinking capability. Consequently, many readers find Boiler's literary work both cynical and exciting.