Irony In Jack Hodgins's The Concert Stages Of Europe

In the short story, "The Concert Stages of Europe," Jack Hodgins establishes the tone by utilizing the aspects of suicidal laughter and situational irony. These help to keep a light and funny attitude throughout the story. Clay, the narrator, does not take himself seriously and uses the story as a way to poke fun at himself and his unsuccessful attempt at becoming a world-famous concert pianist.
Throughout the narration of Clay's ill-fated attempt at becoming a concert pianist, Hodgins frequently makes use of the suicidal laughter aspect of humor. Clay repeatedly makes fun of himself and makes light of the whole situation. He jokes about his physical appearance at the time of the recital, when he was just thirteen years old:
I don't know why people gave me their money. Pity, perhaps. Maybe it was impossible to say no to a six-foot-two-inch thirteen-year-old who trips over his own bike in front of your house, falls up your bottom step, blushes red with embarrassment when you open the door, and tells you he wants your money for a talent contest so he can become a Great Artist (Hodgins 402).
In these three lines, Clay does not hesitate in the least to offer his true feelings about himself during that time in his life. He is good-natured about the whole fiasco and is not embarrassed to admit how he acted during his
adolescent years.
Another instance of suicidal laughter occurs when Clay is explaining how he answered the questions of Richy Ryder, the emcee of the recital.
Clay pokes fun at his nervousness and the fact that he was extremely tall for his age. "And again ‘yes,' because I realized that not only had my voice come out as thin and high as the squeal of a dry buzz-saw, but the microphone was at least a foot too low. I had to bend my knees to speak into it" (Hodgins 405). This further establishes the tone of the story as being light-hearted. Clay does not hold back at making himself the butt of jokes within the story. He offers himself up for the readers to laugh
at.
Hodgins incorporates situational irony into the story with the character of Cornelia Horncastle. Throughout the story, Cornelia is portrayed as being an exceptional pianist. "That girl, people had told her, would be giving concerts in Europe some day, command performances before royalty…" (Hodgins 396). She is Clay's rival throughout the story and eventually at the recital as well. As is expected, Cornelia goes on to win the contest and the trip to Hawaii. One naturally expects her to become an actual concert pianist in the future. However, in an example of situational irony, Cornelia gives up the piano completely. "Once she got back from her holiday on the beaches of Hawaii she announced to her parents that she was never going to touch a piano again as long as she lived, ivory, or cardboard, or any other kind" (Hodgins 407-408). This is extremely ironical for one absolutely does not expect Cornelia to give up on something she has such a natural talent for.
Jack Hodgins uses the aspects of suicidal laughter and situational irony to establish a light-hearted tone throughout the story, "The Concert Stages of Europe." These two elements add humor to the story and make the situation that it deals with a lot more amusing to read. The humorous tone of the story gives it the ability to entertain scores of readers. It livens up the idea of a piano recital and makes it more entertaining than what it is perceived to be.