Although comedy and satire are similar literary styles, they sharply contrast in a few fundamental areas. These fundamental differences are clear in a comparison of the comedic short story "The Night the Bed Fell," by James Thurber, and the satiric "Marrying Absurd," by Joan Didion. Broadly defined, a comedy can be is a work depicting the uphill struggle and eventual success of a sympathetic hero; usually about ordinary people in difficult but non-life-threatening predicaments. Satire, on the other hand, is a genre that exposes and ridicules human vice and folly. Its characters are usually unsympathetic, often detestable and seldom commendable. "Marrying Absurd" and "The Night the Bed Fell" can be contrasted as representatives of their genre's in three areas: their tone, their purpose and their method.

The tone of a comedy is generally light-hearted and entertaining, whereas the tone of a satire is critical and ridiculing. In fact, what most sharply separates comedy from satire is their entertainment quality. In this tradition, through his descriptions' of various characters, Thurber clearly sets a lighthearted tone for his comedic short story, "The Ni

In addition, these stories sharply contrast in their purpose, or desired audience reaction. "Marrying Absurd" is clearly written to arouse contempt, or at least disapproval for its subject, the Las Vegas marriage. "The Night The Bed Fell," however, was written simply to evoke amusement. For example, the absurdity of Thurber's opening line in "The Night the Bed Fell" is an excellent illustration of his comedic purpose: "I suppose the high-water mark of my youth in Columbus, Ohio, was the night the bed fell on my father." Surely, nothing can be seriously concluded from a bed falling on Thurber's father. From the very beginning of his comic sketch, Thurber asserts his purpose. Didion, on the other hand, undoubtedly communicates her disapproval of the Las Vegas assumption that, "marriage like craps, is a game to be played when the table seems hot." In her vehement condemnation, Didion conveys the purpose of her social commentary and her expectation that her audience to agree with her opposition. After all, how can readers not be moved or disturbed by a sobbing, under aged, pregnant bride.

In conclusion, a comparison of the various elements of each piece of writing, clearly illustrates their differences; differences which may not be apparent after an initial reading of each. Even, in their most basic nature "The Night the Bed Fell" and "Marrying Absurd" can be contrasted. One is comedy and one I satire. One serves to ridicule its object and

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Approximate Word count = 975
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)