Part one of term paper
The tone of the short story "Haircut" is dramatic irony, for the remarks of the first-person narrator, Whitey the small town barber, have the opposite effect from what he intends. Whitey does not understand the implications of his stories when he describes Jim as a joker or "a card" and unwittingly shows him to be a mean and despicable man. ...

Part two of term paper
... Lardner's satire. Most of Jim's so called "jokes" were downright vicious. He was upset one day at how his wife had treated him so decided to get even. He told her that he would take the family to the circus, then left them waiting while he drank gin and lounged around a pool hall. Another time he sent Paul, who was slow witted, to fetch a left-handed monkey wrench from the garage when he knew well that a left-handed monkey wrench did not exist. He also took pleasure in humiliating Julie Gregg ...