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Definition of Dramatic Irony
Dramatic irony is a plot device often used in theater, literature, film, and television to highlight the difference between a character's understanding of a given situation, and that of the... read full definition
Dramatic irony is a plot device often used in theater, literature, film, and television to highlight the difference between a character's understanding of a given... read full definition
Dramatic irony is a plot device often used in theater, literature, film, and television to highlight the difference between a... read full definition
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Going to See My Man:
A hairdressing appointment turns into something of a storytelling session in Chapter 1. Pressed with questions from Aisha and Mariama about her reasons for returning to Nigeria, Ifemelu begins concocting stories for herself. What follows is thick with dramatic irony:
“I’m also going back to Nigeria to see my man,” Ifemelu said, surprising herself. My man. How easy it was to lie to strangers, to create with strangers the versions of our lives that we have imagined.
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Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—Blind Faith:
Ifemelu’s mother succumbs to staggering dramatic irony in Chapter 3. Caught in her bouts of religious fervor, she deludes herself about Aunty Uju’s miraculous good luck and even prays for the General:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Every morning, Ifemelu’s mother prayed for The General. She would say, “Heavenly father, I command you to bless Uju’s mentor. May his enemies never triumph over him!” Or she would say, “We cover Uju’s mentor with the precious blood of Jesus!” […] Her mother said the word “mentor” defiantly, a thickness in her tone, as though the force of her delivery would truly turn The General into a mentor, and also remake the world into a place where young doctors could afford Aunty Uju’s new Mazda, that green, glossy, intimidatingly streamlined car.
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Chapter 29
Explanation and Analysis—Emenike’s Success:
Obinze’s meal with Emenike in Chapter 29 comes wrapped with situational irony. By the time Emenike meets him at the restaurant, Obinze finds a smooth-spoken man scarcely recognizable from the classmate from his memories:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“Oh, I think he’ll like it,” Emenike said. Self-satisfaction, that was the difference in him. He was married to a British woman, lived in a British home, worked at a British job, traveled on a British passport, said “exercise” to refer to a mental rather than a physical activity. He had longed for this life, and never quite believed he would have it. Now his backbone was stiff with self-satisfaction. He was sated. In the restaurant in Kensington, a candle glowed on the table, and the blond waiter, who seemed too tall and handsome to be a waiter, served tiny bowls of what looked like green jelly.
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