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Setting
Key Examples in Marionettes, Inc.
Situational Irony
Explanation and Analysis—Braling's Escape Plan:
Ray Bradbury uses situational irony to undercut Braling's plans. Braling spends 10 years dreaming of escaping his controlling wife and slipping away to Rio. When he discovers Marionettes, Inc., he believes he's found the perfect solution. But Braling's fantasy of freedom is turned completely upside down. The device that was supposed to grant him autonomy becomes the tool of his entrapment.
Braling Two said, "I'm going to put you in the box, lock it, and lose the key. Then I'll buy another Rio ticket for your wife."
"Now, now, wait a minute. Hold on. Don't be rash. Let's talk this over!"
"Good-by, Braling."
Braling stiffened. "What do you mean, 'good-by'?"
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—"Simpleminded," Indeed:
Bradbury uses situational irony and satire in tandem to critique male entitlement. Nowhere is this clearer than in the character of Smith, who assumes that his affectionate, devoted wife is "a little simpleminded," only to discover that she has outwitted him completely:
Unlock with LitCharts A+"I mean, after all, when you've been married ten years, you don't expect a woman to sit on your lap for two hours every evening, call you at work twelve times a day and talk baby talk. And it seems to me that in the last month she's gotten worse. I wonder if perhaps she isn't a little simpleminded?"
