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Imagery
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: A Gathering
Explanation and Analysis—Permanent Status Quo:
In Chapter 1, the narrator introduces the reader to Analoague Street, the main street in Manila, where Captain Tiago lives and is holding a dinner party. But as so often in the book, the narrator speaks with irony:
It is important to note that this vital district artery, where traffic is so bustling and bewildering, for over a length of almost a kilometer is served by just one wooden bridge, which for half of the year is under repair on one end and for the remainder closed to traffic on the other, so that in the hot months horses take advantage of this permanent status quo to jump from it into the water, to the great surprise of the daydreaming individual as he dozes ... or philosophizes on the century's progress.
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Chapter 6: Captain Tiago
Explanation and Analysis—I Just Don't Trust Him:
Rizal devotes Chapter 6 to describing Captain Tiago, a wealthy man from San Diego who is profoundly religious. He has his own brand of polytheism in which he prays to a number of gods and saints from different traditions across the world. He remains, though, well-respected by the church in San Diego because of his consistent financial patronage. He has many religious artifacts and relics, including a kris—a type of dagger made on the island of Java in Indonesia—that supposedly belonged to the archangel Michael. But with the narrator's characteristic irony, Rizal describes how Tiago avoids this relic:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Captain Tiago, on the outside a prudent, religious man, avoided getting close to Saint Michael's kris. "Just in case," he said to himself, "I know he's an archangel, but I don't trust him, I just don't trust him."
Chapter 11: Sovereignty
Explanation and Analysis—Fairly Cheap:
Chapter 11 begins with a question: "Who ran the village?" The narrator then goes on to explain that neither Don Rafael, nor the wealthy Tiago, nor the mayor, nor even God is in charge. Instead, the priests wield all the power. One by one, the narrator describes, with sardonic irony, how impotent each of those men are in San Diego. The description of the unnamed mayor is the most ironic because of how entirely the priests control him, despite his nominal powers:
Unlock with LitCharts A+He was an unhappy man. He did not give orders; he took them. He ruled no one; he was ruled. He did not command; he was commanded. On the other hand he had to explain to the local chief magistrate any orders, arrangements, and mandates as if they had come from his own head, but they were done in his name, he had not stolen or usurped his high position: it had cost him five thousand pesos and a great deal of humiliation. And for what it cost him, it seemed fairly cheap.
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Chapter 41: Two Visitors
Explanation and Analysis—A Burning Mind:
After the attack at the theater in Chapter 40, Father Salví rushes after Ibarra and María Clara. The priest cannot bear the thought of a romantic interaction between them. It seems like he is nobly preserving Christian morals, but in fact Salví is in love with María Clara. The description is made with dramatic irony, as the townsfolk think Salví is righteous while the reader knows he is acting in his own self-interest. The narrator alludes to Salví's thoughts:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The priest went off, unaware of the crowd's presence. He beheld in front of him the handsome bust of a maiden, asleep, breathing softly, her eyelids shaded by long lashes that formed gracious curves like those of Raphael's Virgin. The tiny mouth smiled. Everything about her breathed virginity, purity, innocence. That face was a sweet vision in the middle of white bedclothes, the face of a cherub amid clouds.
His imagination saw more sights . . . and who can write what a burning mind can imagine!
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