humor in literature

humor in literature

Introduction

Humor is the feature in something that makes someone laugh. Fun has been around for the longest time. Fun is essential in literature because the reader is always engaged. Humor makes writing exciting and breaks the monotony. Humor also releases tension for the reader. The pressure is released when humor is used where things start being overwhelming. My research question is, how is humor used in solving different problems? The research will discuss different types of humor that are used by different authors to bring out the intended message. The research paper aims to know humor in literature.

Sherman Alexie

Sherman Alexie addresses the issue of stereotypes using humor. The humor brings the reader to focus on the stereotype while still being entertained. Sherman uses jokes to show realities that are uncomfortable truths in Native American societies. Sherman uses ethnic jokes to freeze Native American stereotypes. Through his fun, he bonded with the graveyard manager. The manager feared him at first because he was Indian and thought that Sherman had come to kill him. At first, he used sarcasm to try and calm him down by saying that he wanted a small slushie though he had ordered a big slushie. He then used ethnic jokes when he asked, asking him if he knew all the words to the theme of Brady bunch. Through the fun, the manager became comfortable with him to the extent of talking and laughing. The manager even gave him creamsicle for free.

Sherman Alexie also uses jokes to discourage alcoholism stereotype. The Native Americans are believed to have problems with alcoholism. Sherman is an alcoholic, and when his girlfriend says his brother is an alcoholic just like him, he does not deny the fact that his brother is an alcoholic instead;, he says that his brother does not drink as much as he does. He uses this as a satiric mirror to show the reality of the Native Americans. It does not deny the fact that they have a problem with alcoholism. Sherman knows for sure they do have a question, and denying this shows he does not agree that there is a problem.

Sherman Alexei was brought up in a poor family and was surrounded by neighbors who were also poor and alcoholics. He becomes an alcoholic but later breaks the habit of drinking and finds a job. When he quits drinking, he proves that Indian people can stop drinking and become useful. When Sherman Alexie goes back to the reservation, his family does not act surprised. Here, there is the use of humorous satire because his family knew he would come back. They even have a saying, “Indians can reside in the city but cannot live there.” This saying is more of a criticism.

The use of irony is evident when Sherman Alexie asks for Cherry Shushie; he turns around to make the drink but suddenly realizes that he has made a mistake and waits for a gunshot. This is because the clerk judges his looks. He thought he was an armed robber because of his long black hair and his dark skin. This is humorous in an ironic sense because the white man judges Sherman because he is not white. When Sherman Alexie is stopped by the police officer, the officer tells him he is not supposed to be in that neighborhood because he knows he is an Indian. Sherman holds back sarcasm to avoid trouble because if he used it, the officer would have used that to arrest or harass him. The use of sarcasm sometimes helps to heal the pain that is caused by prejudice.

King Thomas

King Thomas’ story, “you will never believe what happened’ is always an excellent way to start” is full of humor that captures the attention of the reader. In King Thomas’s texts, humor plays an essential role in showing life realities. There is an old woman who was promised to get a promotion at the end of the year. She keeps waiting and grows old while still waiting for a promotion. At the workplace, there are five men and one woman working. She had to work harder, and she is not given any pension. King Thomas uses rhetorical humor when the lady asks a question that does not need an answer, or instead, she knows the answer. This shows how women are discriminated against and do not get equal rights as men. They have to work harder than men for them to at least get a salary raise or promotion, which they do not understand.

King uses humor to show how people want change and are optimistic about everything. The hardworking woman grows old while waiting for a salary raise and promotion. She is so optimistic that there will come a time when everything will change, and there will be gender equality, but this does not happen. King Thomas also uses irony to show the trouble the sister and her brother go through after their father left them, and they were brought up by their mother. It is funny that the girl is not sure whether the man who had taken her to the café was her father or not. They later realize that their father had two other families before he died. They also realized that the other two families are very close, and they are the only ones who do not know their father had other children. Their father had forgotten about them even though he had called their mum to tell her he would come back.

King Thomas also uses sarcasm throughout his story “the truth about stories” the story involves animals speaking and a woman who fell from the skies. And the animals talk about displacement, velocity, compression, and mass. He also writes of the creation according to the bible. He comperes the original story of creation to the Christian creation story. It is funny that the animals are sophisticated and talk of cooperation and share the world and also solve problems together. King Thomas’s story shows the difference in the Christian life where individuals accept violence, and there is individualism where there is no teamwork. Thomas is trying to show that animals are more organized than people through sarcasm. In this story, religion stereotype is evidence.

Cherie Dimaline

In Cherie Dimaline’s story, “legends are made not born,” he uses sarcasm in his story. The boy was named Seema-tobacco after a pack of smoke, although his parents were Catholics. Seema-tobacco parents were supposed to give him a decent name because they were Christians. Christian stereotype is shown in this story. It is believed that Christians should be descent and are expected to be good examples to their children and the community. The father is also supposed to be a good role model, but instead, he is never at home and is not there for his son when his wife died.

Their son was gay despite his parents being Catholics. Christians believe that homosexuality is a sin, but in Cherie Dimaline’s book, the fact that the mother knew his son was gay and accepted it is ironic. The name auntie Dave is funny because he is a man yet is called auntie. Dave’s home was beautiful, according to his mother, but to the people in the town, they saw the house as crap. Maybe the city saw the house as crap because Dave was gay and a magician.

In conclusion, humor in literature is important because it makes characters relatable. It causes excitement to the reader and the urge to keep reading and encounter more fun. It is advisable to use humor in writing when the author wants to address severe issues because many people read novels if they are attractive. By use of humor, and unintended message will reach a large number of people. Humor creates a relationship between the characters. This relationship forms a community, and the reader is invited to that community. Humor in a story aid in improving writing; when there is an experience of positive emotions, they help in solving problems, judging, and creative thinking. King Thomas, Cherie Dimaline, and Sherman Alexie have given in-depth messages using humor. Therefore, authors should be encouraged to use humor to attract more readers and pass their messages effectively.