Social Irony in Connell’s Short Story “the Cage Man”
Muhammad Rizky
180410120082
17/01/13
Social Irony in Connell’s Short Story “The Cage Man”
Irony can be defined as a double significance which arises from the contrast in values associated with two different point of view (Leech and Short, Style in fiction; 223). The most usual kind is that which involves a contrast between a point of view stated or implied in some part of the fiction, and the assumed point of view of the author, and hence of the reader. In the Richard Connell’s short story entitled “The Cage Man” it is Horace Nimms, the main character of the story, who is involved in contrast social value; between Horace Nimms point of view and my point of view. What makes this short story unique is that when in another Connell’s short story like “The Most Dangerous Game” where only a single irony occurs, that the main character, Sanger Rainsford, is being hunted reversing the Rainsford claim that he is a one of the hunters not a huntees, in “The Cage Man” there is a double irony occurs; with the historical and social issues surrounding it.
Horace Nimms is told inside the story as a cashier. The definition of cashier in this story has a different meaning if it is compared to cashier meaning nowadays. In the story this job takes care of payments and expenses which related to place where he works, similar to accountant. He works for a company named the Amalgamated Soap Company. It is a company which is famously known in the story as Suds Trust. Working with style, he wears his shiny Alpaca on his working day. The company cage Horace with all the money of the company inside. Even though most of the cashier is observed as a crabbed man handing out money and saving little for personal use, “he is not of that ilk” is the way narrator describes Horace.
The first irony happens when the narrator tells the reader that “When the door of the cage clanged shut in the morning he (Horace Nimms) felt soothed, at home”. This is ironic to think what this man feels while we are
180410120082
17/01/13
Social Irony in Connell’s Short Story “The Cage Man”
Irony can be defined as a double significance which arises from the contrast in values associated with two different point of view (Leech and Short, Style in fiction; 223). The most usual kind is that which involves a contrast between a point of view stated or implied in some part of the fiction, and the assumed point of view of the author, and hence of the reader. In the Richard Connell’s short story entitled “The Cage Man” it is Horace Nimms, the main character of the story, who is involved in contrast social value; between Horace Nimms point of view and my point of view. What makes this short story unique is that when in another Connell’s short story like “The Most Dangerous Game” where only a single irony occurs, that the main character, Sanger Rainsford, is being hunted reversing the Rainsford claim that he is a one of the hunters not a huntees, in “The Cage Man” there is a double irony occurs; with the historical and social issues surrounding it.
Horace Nimms is told inside the story as a cashier. The definition of cashier in this story has a different meaning if it is compared to cashier meaning nowadays. In the story this job takes care of payments and expenses which related to place where he works, similar to accountant. He works for a company named the Amalgamated Soap Company. It is a company which is famously known in the story as Suds Trust. Working with style, he wears his shiny Alpaca on his working day. The company cage Horace with all the money of the company inside. Even though most of the cashier is observed as a crabbed man handing out money and saving little for personal use, “he is not of that ilk” is the way narrator describes Horace.
The first irony happens when the narrator tells the reader that “When the door of the cage clanged shut in the morning he (Horace Nimms) felt soothed, at home”. This is ironic to think what this man feels while we are
Cited: Easton, C. Stewart. The Western Heritage. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc, 1996. Leech, Geoffrey. Short, Mick. Style in Fiction. Pearson Education Limited, 2007.