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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 25
Explanation and Analysis—The War:
As World War II rages on, resources become increasingly inaccessible, even in Gion. In a scene marked with dramatic irony, Mameha uses logos in order to convince Mother to accept General Tottori, rather than Nobu, as a danna for Sayuri.
“Those of us in Gion have been fortunate so far,” Mameha said. “But shortages will affect us, if the war continues.”
"I’m sure they would, if the war continued,” Mother said. “This war will be over in six months.”
“And when it is, the military will be in a stronger position than ever before. Mrs. Nitta, please don’t forget that General Tottori is the man who oversees all the resources of the military. No one in Japan is in a better position to provide you with everything you could want, whether the war continues or not.”
Here, Mameha reminds Mother that a man who has access to resources would be a powerful asset in the war. Mother, however, insists that "this war will be over in six months," a claim saturated with dramatic irony, as the war in fact continued for several more years. Here, Mameha employs logos carefully, reasoning that a man with military connections would be useful even in the event that the war ends. General Tottori, she reminds Mother, "is the man who oversees all the resources of the military," and would be in a good position to help the okiya both during and after war. Here, Mameha's motives are somewhat ambiguous, though Sayuri believes that Mameha has her best interests in mind. Ultimately, by blocking Nobu from becoming Sayuri's donna, Mameha makes it possible for the Chairman to fulfill that role later.
Explanation and Analysis—Yellow Pickles:
In a passage marked with dramatic irony, Mother fails to recognize that her yellowed teeth are the result of her nonstop pipe-smoking. When she sees Sayuri eating yellow pickles, she warns her against them, falsely suspecting that they stain a person's teeth due to their own yellow color:
After a time she put down her pipe and said, “You shouldn’t eat those yellow pickles. They’ll rot your teeth. Look at what they did to mine.”
It had never occurred to me that Mother believed her stained teeth had anything to do with eating pickles. When she’d finished giving me a good view of her mouth, she picked up her pipe again and took in a puff of smoke.
“Auntie loves yellow pickles, ma’am,” I said, “and her teeth are fine.”
“Who cares if Auntie’s teeth are fine?"
Sayuri characterizes Mother as an ugly woman with yellowed eyes and teeth who spends most of the day in a cloud of smoke produced by her nonstop pipe-smoking. In this minor domestic scene at the Nitta okiya, which takes place shortly after Sayuri's mizuage ceremony, Mother warns Sayuri not to eat yellow pickles. Her reasoning here exemplifies fallacious reasoning: because the pickles are themselves yellow, she believes that they made her teeth yellow, a risk that Sayuri cannot afford to take, given her status as a geisha. Here, the novel indulges in some dramatic irony, as Mother immediately resumes smoking her pipe. To most readers, and to Sayuri, it is obvious that the pipe is responsible for the discolored state of Mother's teeth, not the pickles. However, like many others who live and work in Gion, Mother sometimes demonstrates a limited range of practical knowledge about the world, as well as an inclination towards superstition.
Related Themes:
