Sean Peters College English

Satire in Both Dooley is a Traitor and The Dry Rock

Satire is utilized in works for the purpose of changing attitudes or ideas toward a certain topic or behavior in society. In both Michies Dooley is a Traitor and Shaws The Dry Rock, satire is employed to make the readers realize the impact society has on the morals of the people living in it. Michie and Shaw are both very similar in their approach to satirizing society. In both Dooley is a Traitor and The Dry Rock, Shaw and Michie criticize the way in which society itself disrupts peoples morals. Michies Dooley is a Traitor is a poem in which a man named Dooley is tried and criticized by a judge for refusing to go to war based on the notion that Dooley does not want to kill a crowd of gentlemen [he] doesnt know. Throughout the poem, Dooleys wittiness proves to trouble the judges ability to debate, exemplified by the judge biting his nail. Even so, the poem ends with the judge declaring Dooley a traitor. In this poem, Michie pokes fun at society itself. In Dooley is a Traitor, society is represented by the judge and Dooley represents the people living in that society. The judge is blatantly depicted as society itself because the judge uses religion and patriotism in his argument against Dooley. Society itself typically pushes values and morals regarding religion and patriotism onto people. For example, the judge tries using patriotism and religion as a means of proving Dooley wrong, just as society bases its morals on these ideas of patriotism and religion. In the story, the judge does not allow Dooley to win regardless of his sufficient argument and morality. In doing so, Michie depicts societys (the

governments) belittlement of peoples morals and how society works to make sure that only its morals are followed. Michie utilizes irony in this particular work for the purpose of displaying his criticism of societys disruption of morals. Irony is depicted in Dooley is a Traitor through the judges twisting of the ideals of religion and of patriotism in an attempt to prove Dooley wrong. It is ironic that a judge would use such methods because a judge should use fact and logic to make an argument. Yet, in this story, the judge states that the war is sanctioned by God, led by the Church, against a godless, churchless nation. It is this type of twisting of ideals that Michie displays in the poem to satirize society. With this, he successfully makes recognition of the contradiction society sustains in its morals. This contradiction being that society considers the killing of someone you know illegal, whereas killing a crowd of gentlemen [you] dont [even] know is considered an obligation. Though one may be able to argue that Dooley is a Traitor is a Horatian Satire because of Dooleys bravery and satisfaction with himself after defying society, Michie obviously intended for it to be Juvenalian. Michie makes this obvious because in the end, Dooley still gets punished. Therefore, Michie expresses pessimism about societys change because he shows that Dooley would die if [he] still wont fight. So, either way, Dooley was forced into doing something he did not want to do. Shaws The Dry Rock is a short story from the point of view of a man, Fitzsimmons, on his way to a party in which his cabbie, Tarloff, tries to fight for his dignity and justice after being punched in the face by a man who had crashed into his cab. Just as in Michies Dooley is a Traitor, society is criticized for its tendency to force people into a certain set of morals. Dignity and justice are the morals disrupted by society in this story. Shaw revealed the satirical

target late in the story, only having readers realize his purpose for criticizing society after Tarloff, a man fighting for justice, does not receive the justice he deserves. While Tarloff clearly represents the people with differing morals in a society, society itself is represented the lieutenant and Rook. In having such an innocent character, who was so dedicated to receive justice, succumb to the principle of letting things go to allow everything to be simpler, readers are given a chance to comprehend the wrongs Shaw wants us to examine. Although Fitzsimmons tried his best to fight for Tarloff, his effort did not matter in the end because of the efforts that society makes to keep its morality superior. These efforts against morality are expressed by Roof and his friends, but even Fitzsimmons wife, the policeman, and the lieutenant. The lieutenant successfully goes against morality by not punishing Rook justly for his crimes, whereas Fitzsimmons wife does so by conflicting in her husbands involvement in helping to bring justice. With the policeman and lieutenant going against morality in this story, Shaw expresses irony. In society, a policeman and lieutenant are expected to bring justice and keep everything ethically sound. However, in The Dry Rock this is not the case. Rather, the lieutenant actually convinces Tarloff to not take legal action, saying that Tarloff is bothering people who have other things to do and even questions Tarloffs logic in fighting for his dignity. Shaw also uses symbolism in the story. The title, The Dry Rock and the affiliation of a dry rock with principle symbolizes the lack of satisfaction personal morals bring. A dry rock is something that has no satisfying traits, therefore, Shaw uses this as a way to better improve upon his description of societys corruption against what he believes to be moral. Unlike in Michies Dooley is a Traitor, the classification of The Dry Rock as Juvenalian is not doubtable. Shaw expresses pessimism in societys inability to change because

at the end of the story, Tarloff not only loses his dignity, but doesnt even make any money from the cab ride or take any of the money to fix his cab. Not even Fitzsimmons offered any real help to Tarloff, in that he worried less about helping Tarloff and more with not displeasing his wife. Fitzsimmons focus on his wifes pleasure is made obvious when Fitzsimmons looked at his wife then shrugged sadly at Tarloff. In sadly shrugging, Fitzsimmons makes it obvious that he had given up on the possibility that Tarloff would receive justice. With such a bitter ending, one can only describe the story as Juvenalian. Both Shaw and Michie use their stories as a means of satirizing the way in which society negatively impacts morality. Michie does so in a witty sense while Shaw does so in more of a serious sense. Yet, regardless of how they wrote their stories, both of them had the same message society must stop clouding the morals of people, because societys morals are not always right.