Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome is a comedic novel about three men who believe that they are sick with almost every disease known to man. The men, Jerome(the narrator), Harris, and George, do not consult a doctor and instead are quick to assume that their diseases must stem from “overwork” and decide to go on a boating trip to take a break. The trio pass by many towns where they have humorous experiences. Jerome in particular, likes to tell the reader stories about boating and other related things. Because this novel is supposed to be humorous, many times, the characters encounter ironic or downright funny situations. For example, once Harris fell into the water while trying to cook. However, the greatest irony of all, was the dog that accompanied the three men, named Montmorency. They expected the dog to bring happiness and a light-hearted atmosphere to their boat trip, but as it turned out, the dog would be more of a burden and a trouble-maker.
The first ironic thing in the adventure of the three men is how they packed. The whole purpose of their boat trip was to get away from the excessive city life. However, when they put Harris in charge of making a list, he decided to bring so much that they remarked he reminded them of Uncle Podger. Podger often made very simple things complicated. For instance, once, when he was told to nail a painting to the wall, he took very long and even hit his finger with the hammer on accident. Packing up for a boating trip is no complicated task, but Harris made it very complex and difficult. At some point in the story, the trio ran out of supplies, and decided to go grocery shopping. However, instead of buying some food and water, they bought a boatload of supplies, which was far too much. In fact, they needed several people to be able to carry their whole load. What originally was supposed to be a grocery list became a boatload of supplies with Harris in charge, which is ironic because the trip was supposed to run away from extravagant city life.
The second notable irony in the trip was how much the three men ate, which would have countered whatever health benefits they hoped for in going boating. Initially, the men just wanted to go on a trip in order to “relieve their illnesses” by going on a calm trip. In fact, they believed they had every known disease except for one. However, their trip may have not helped them at all. Multiple times throughout their adventure, the men ate large, rich meals which would have been detrimental for their health. They also drank a lot of alcohol. In fact, at the beginning of the story, they actually became dizzy from eating and drinking too much. This indulgence would have canceled out what health benefits they would have gotten from enjoying fresh air outside of the city. Although they bought huge amounts of food for their journey, they actually ended up eating it all and had to get more, emphasizing how much they ate. It’s odd how the trio managed to accomplish the opposite of what they initially hoped for because of their gluttony.
The third and most important example of irony was Montmorency the dog. At first, he is relatively calm and does not cause trouble, but ends up doing stupid things that only cause more trouble. He seems to get this from his owners who are also foolish and do odd, sometimes humorous things. Once, the dog was frustrated by the loud sound that a boiling kettle was making, and attacked it only to get hot water all over him. Another time, he attempts to fight a neighborhood cat, only to get embarrassingly scared off. This spoiled the trip at times and his ineptitude would warrant a scolding from his owner, J. Another instance when he was like his owners was when George tried to play the banjo, and he howled, probably in disapproval. Just like his masters, Montmorency the dog managed to accomplish the exact opposite of what he was supposed to do. He was supposed to bring a light-hearted mood to the trip, but ended up spoiling the peace and quiet.
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome is a humorous story about three men that go on a boating trip. Jerome(who was the narrator and also referred to as J.), Harris, and George were experiencing symptoms of diseases and diagnosed themselves as “having every illness” except for one called Maid’s Knee. Instead of consulting a doctor, they immediately assumed that their sickness must have resulted from overwork and went boating to relieve themselves from the city life. Throughout their journey, there is humor and irony involved, sometimes due to the characters’ incompetence and other times because of their dog, Montmorency. There are three major examples of irony in this novel. First, they were only going for a few days, perhaps a couple weeks at most, but they ended up packing an entire boatload of supplies. The second major irony in the novel was how much they ate. Eating rich foods and drinking a lot is detrimental for anybody’s health, but the men indulged in big, hearty meals and plenty of booze, which would have counteracted any health benefits they would have gotten from the fresh air. Third and finally, was Montmorency the dog. He was initially brought on the trip to lighten the mood, but proved to be nothing but a troublemaker. Ultimately, the men probably accomplished the opposite of what they hoped for and turned out to still prefer city life more.
Comentários