The Invalid's Story Group

Question:


muck09
Student
High School - 11th Grade

In Mark Twain's "The Invalid's Story", how does the language of the story contribute to the humor?

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Posted by muck09 on Thursday February 21, 2008 at 5:07 AM and tagged with humor, language, the invalid's story.

Answers:


  1. amethystrose Teacher
    High School - 9th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Twain uses dramatic irony to create humor in his story.  The  reader knows that a bag of cheese was left on the box, but the two men in the train car do not.  Their confusion about the smell is humorous because they attribute the smell to a rotting body while the reader is aware that it is the Limburger cheese that smells so bad.  The men in the car go to outrageous lengths to try to cover up the smell, even to the point of smoking cigars.  When the heavy cigar smoke does not mask it, they restort to burning things.  The finally end up riding outside the train car and catching pneumonia to get away from the small that if they'd only investigated, would have disgarded the bag of cheese.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/invalids-story/style

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    Posted by amethystrose on Thursday February 21, 2008 at 6:42 AM