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Hyperbole
Definition of Irony
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this seems like a loose definition... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how... read full definition
Key Examples in A&P
Irony
Explanation and Analysis—The Girls Leave:
The situational irony at the heart of “A&P” is the fact that Sammy quits his job to impress the three bathing-suit-clad girls and, rather than thanking him or acknowledging his gesture, they leave without saying a word. The following passage captures the painful irony of this moment:
The girls, and who'd blame them, are in a hurry to get out so I say ''I quit'' to Lengel quick enough for them to hear, hoping they'll stop and watch me, their unsuspected hero. They keep right on going, into the electric eye; the door flies open and they flicker across the lot to their car, Queenie and Plaid and Big Tall Goony-Goony (not that as raw material she was so bad), leaving me with Lengel and a kink in my eyebrow.
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