In an example of verbal irony, the girl mimics the man when he says that everything tastes like licorice, as seen in the following passage:
“It tastes like licorice,” the girl said and put the glass down.
“That’s the way with everything.”
“Yes,” said the girl. “Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things you’ve waited so long for, like absinthe.”
“Oh, cut it out.”
“You started it,” the girl said. “I was being amused. I was having a fine time.”
Here, the girl makes an earnest comment—that what she's drinking tastes like licorice—and the man makes the exaggerated claim, “That’s the way with everything.” Seeing the absurdity in this claim, the girl uses verbal irony by simply restating what he said in (what readers can imagine as) a mocking tone: “Yes […]. Everything tastes of licorice.” That she adds, “Especially all the things you’ve waited so long for, like absinthe” only deepens her sarcasm.
Though it’s impossible to know exactly what she means by this—Hemingway’s sparse language doesn’t give many hints—it’s clear that this argument is not actually about licorice. Since absinthe (which does, in fact, taste a bit like licorice) was known as an aphrodisiac at the time, it’s possible that what the girl is alluding to here is that drinking absinthe together while traveling led to the couple having sex and conceiving the child. Whether this is an accurate interpretation or not, the man’s response, “Oh cut it out,” and the girl’s childish response, “You started it,” demonstrate that they are not on the same page about this subject and, further, do not have a very mature or trusting relationship.
