In Lord of the Flies and “I Only Came to Use the Telephone,” the setting and characters' actions work together. Both are used to show the many instances of irony present in the stories. The irony in both stories reveals the true and fundamental nature of all human beings. First, the authors show readers irony through the customs that isolated characters bring with them from their previous homes. Ideally, the environment from which Maria and all the boys come represents civilization and order. It is seen that in the beginning the character's actions still reflect their old home. This is ironic because in some cases these actions are anything but civilized, in fact they represent the inherent wrongness of all human beings. In Lord of the Flies the boys immediately create a hierarchy. Bigger kids are immediately more important than younger kids. They bully Piggy and look down on him because of his size. Prejudice arises immediately, not because this is what the island forced them to do, but because this is what happens in society. Maria also brings with her her customs and ways of living in the asylum in “I only came to use the telephone”. Maria's lifestyle is very inconsistent. She makes love to many different men and then leaves them as if nothing had happened. In a civilized and ideal world, women of her age should have a kind and respectful husband and family. Yet we see in the story that “She had abandoned three men… in the last five years.” (Marquez 78). Maria makes love to her doctor the first time she sees him even though she has a husband and has the clear goal of making contact with him. Evidently, in both situations this irony is used to show the wrong nature of human beings in any context, be it an isolated or regular society. Furthermore, the real and ba...... middle of paper...... obscene offerings from the matron. However, Maria realizes that she must go with the matron because it is the only way to talk to her husband. The story goes that "Mary realized that there was nothing in the world she wouldn't do to escape that hell." (Marquez 86). It has to be kept to a minimum to achieve anything. These ironic situations are both clearly used to show the basic nature of human beings who do anything to survive, even if it means destroying themselves. In conclusion, irony is used in both Lord of the Flies and "I Only came to Use the Phone" to show readers that fundamental and true nature of all human beings. Irony demonstrates that the basic instincts and actions of human beings can be present in any context or environment. Works Cited Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Coward-McCann, 1962. Print. Strange Pilgrims: Twelve Stories. New York: Knopf, 1993. Print.