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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
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Māori Conquistadores:
In Chapter 1, Adam Ewing outlines the strange history of what he calls "Maori conquistadores," indigenous Pacific Islanders who decided to begin colonizing neighboring islands. This history is imbued with situational irony, as well as oxymoron in Adam's retelling:
Old Rekohu was thus partitioned & the Moriori informed that they were now Maori vassals. In early December, when some dozen Aboriginals protested, they were casually slain with tomahawks. The Maori proved themselves apt pupils of the English in "the dark arts of colonization."
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Medicine:
Chapter 1 reveals Adam Ewing to be a selectively suspicious person. He mistrusts indigenous people with impunity, crafting character assessments based on imperialist, racist assumptions. Simultaneously, Adam is quick to trust Dr. Henry Goose—a man who, though English, speaks like Adam does and shares similar cultural experiences. This trust in Dr. Goose is misplaced, however. In Chapter 1, Mitchell hints at Dr. Goose’s nefarious intentions, crafting a moment of both dramatic and situational irony:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Henry's powders are indeed a wondrous medicament. I inhale the precious grains into my nostrils from an ivory spoon & on the instant an incandescent joy burns into my being. My senses grow alert, yet my limbs grow Lethean.
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Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Nietzche and Ayrs:
Throughout Chapters 2 and 10, Ayrs maintains a steady fascination with German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Robert comments on this several times, even referencing Thus Spake Zarathustra in Chapter 2:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Had another encounter—confrontation more the word—on Saturday just gone. I’d taken Ayrs’s bible, Also sprach Zarathustra, to the stone slab bridge over the lake to the willow-tree island.
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Explanation and Analysis—Jealousy:
In Chapter 2, Robert Frobisher and his lover, Jocasta, have a close call when Ayrs—struck by a late-night bout of musical inspiration—walks in on them having sex. Ayrs is essentially blind, so Robert hides Jocasta under the bedsheets while he works with Ayrs. The older man later leaves Robert's room, delighted in the progress they've made. In a key example of situational irony, Jocasta is upset by this turn of events:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Couldn’t say if Ayrs felt humor, pity, nostalgia, or scorn. He left. Locked the door and climbed into bed for the third time that night. Bedroom farce, when it actually happens, is intensely sad. Jocasta seemed angry with me.
“What?” I hissed.
“My husband loves you,” said the wife, dressing.
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Chapter 7
Explanation and Analysis—Use of Force:
In the following example of situational irony from Chapter 7, Sonmi anticipates her capture and punishment for exposing the government's abuse of fabricants. She awaits her captors' arrival:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Six aeros sharked over the water, one landing on the flower garden. Enforcers jumped out, priming their colts, and belly-snaked toward my window with much hand signing and fearless bravado. I had left the doors and windows open for them, but my captors contrived a spectacular siege with snipers, megaphones, and an xploding wall.
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