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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
Pages 3-4
Explanation and Analysis—Theological Irony:
In an ironic passage at the beginning of Gilead, John reflects on what he’s told members of his congregation about death:
I used to say it was like going home. We have no home in this world, I used to say, and then I’d walk back up the road to this old place and make myself a pot of coffee and a fried-egg sandwich and listen to the radio, when I got one, in the dark as often as not.
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Pages 21-28
Explanation and Analysis—Jonathan Edwards:
John Ames’s brother Edward is a major character in John’s life. Edward was named after their uncle Edwards, who was named for Jonathan Edwards. Jonathan Edwards was an American revivalist preacher in the 18th century. His most famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” prompted the First Great Awakening. He is often associated with religious fervor and passionate sermons.
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Pages 217-232
Explanation and Analysis—Gilead Rejects Jack:
In the climax of Gilead, Jack Boughton tells John Ames that he has a wife and child. His wife is Black, and his child is mixed race. As an interracial family, they aren’t accepted by his wife’s family or by many of the places where they try to live. Jack wants to bring the family to Gilead and, in a passage rife with irony, he asks John if he believes the town would accept them. As much as John would like to say yes, he doesn't know if it would, and he can’t promise to be alive for long enough to ensure that it does.
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