Satire in short stories with multiple examples

¶ … SATIRE, USING multiple EXAMPLES short stories. Must MLA format

Alice Walker's short story "Everyday Use" and Truman Capote's short story "A Christmas Memory" both relate to satire by emphasizing the importance that rather ordinary events have for some people. Walker focuses on Mama's narrative in an attempt to present readers with a thorough account involving family members that are unable to understand each-other. Similarly, Capote deals with matters concerning family and discusses events that initially seem commonplace with the purpose of highlighting their importance. The two writers regard satire as a mean to improve a story, given that they both manage to captivate the attention of their readers through relating to the apparent monotonous character of particular events. Their use of the literary genre is meant to introduce humor in events that are bleak, subtly creating amusing situations in conditions that would otherwise be depressing.

The title of Walker's story is essential in having readers understand more regarding the purpose of the short story. Walker wants people to concentrate on matters that they believe to be common in order for them to be able to comprehend that other individuals are likely to think of such things as being extraordinary. Irony dominates most of the play as the writer contrasts between Dee and Maggie and as she describes the two sisters as having diverging perspectives in regard to the world and to their place in society. The quilts that Walker uses in an attempt to shed light on different philosophies demonstrate that individuals are likely to put across diverging thinking even when they are provided with similar upbringing.

Dee greets her mother and sister by addressing the family's heritage and the tradition of their race in general. Humor lightens the atmosphere from the very first moments of their encounter, as Walker's uses Mama's inability to pronounce her son-in-law's name properly as evidence regarding the absurdness of Dee's choices. The old woman does not just have difficulty understanding the man's name, as she is also secretly convinced that he is not actually as special as he and her daughter believe him to be. Dee is determined to influence her mother and sister in preserving the heritage of their family and emphasizes the traditional importance of two quilts. In spite of her passion, however, she does not really understand that the objects are actually meant to be used to their full potential in order for them to fulfill their purpose. She simply thinks that they would be more useful if they were to be put on display. Walker's intention is to show an individual's failure to fully comprehend the importance of an object through demonstrating that Dee's intellectual character does not assist her in understanding cultural values. Satire in "Everyday Use" is primarily related to Dee's failure to comprehend tradition. The woman claims to be particularly concerned regarding her cultural values but does not hesitate to criticize Mama and Maggie for living in accordance with their family's customs. This shows that she does not actually appreciate her heritage, as she is really interested in making people consider that she respects traditions.

Although Capote's short story is filled with nostalgia, the writer manages to keep people's attention away from the depressing elements of the text through employing a satirical attitude. The story describes cousin Sook's failure to properly integrate society, even with the fact that an eccentric family like hers is likely to appreciate virtually any type of character, regardless of an individual's personality. Capote emphasizes Sook's eccentricity and puts across the belief that her open-minded attitude is actually the reason for which people consider her to be abnormal. In spite of her ability to express interest in a wide range of things, she is not appreciated by most people that she interacts with.