Ironic statements and situations in literature develop readers' interest. Irony makes a literary work more intriguing and forces readers to use their imagination and understand the hidden meanings of texts. Furthermore, real life is full of ironic expressions and situations. Therefore, the use of irony brings a literary work closer to life. Irony vs. Coincidence Although irony can serve as a great literary device in a work if used correctly, there is still a lot of confusion surrounding the exact definition of the term. Situational irony is the type of irony that is most likely to be mislabeled. Situational irony is defined as: the inconsistency between what one might expect and what actually happens. The big problem surrounding the concept of situational irony is that it is often confused with that of coincidence. Coincidence is defined as: a sequence of events that, although accidental, appear to have been planned or arranged. Pay close attention, because this is where things get confusing. To call a fact or event ironic is to make a statement about the relationship between the reality of a fact or event and expectations regarding that fact or event. To call a fact or event random, on the other hand, is to make a statement about the relationship between that fact or event and another independent fact or event. Events are often confused as ironic because situational irony involves some degree of coincidence. The important difference is that for something to be labeled ironic it must be both casual and humorously contradictory or touching and extremely unlikely.