“The One Day War” by Judith Soloway Review Essay

In the short story The One Day War, Judith Soloway writes about the nearest future, using dark irony. The author describes the project, in which all the events of the Civil War are shown shortened to only one day. The narration reflects the idea of how insignificant human sacrifices are to those who belong to the ruling class and do not risk dying in any war. The entire story is built on contrast, which is a base for creating dark irony. Gloomy action takes place under a clear sky, where there is not a single cloud. When the guns are fired, the sky turns grey – in contrast to the opening scene. With the help of such irony, the author shows how much war is different for those in charge of it and those who die during it. Other techniques of the author’s irony used in the story include mentioning the details that are not appropriate to describe war. Firstly, although the event is accompanied by music, which is usually played at military funerals, the whole action looks like a party. Secondly, the author uses words that are not suitable for describing war: a soft breeze over the battlefield and ‘inhumanity’, in quotation marks. These details help the readers understand what the author is ironic about: people who care about war costs and inefficiency, not human lives. The author of the short story ironically describes different perceptions of such a terrible event as war. The irony is in the exposition of the wonderful weather in contrast to the horror of the events described. The usage of inappropriate words in the military context is also ironic. These techniques allow the author to expose the problem fully within a short text.