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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
Key Examples in North and South
Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Butchers & Bakers:
Early in the novel, when the Hales are still living in Helstone, Margaret expresses a dislike of “shoppy people," or people who've made money in trade, while talking with her mother. To show her disdain, she alludes to a children's nursery rhyme:
Unlock with LitCharts A+I think we are far better off, knowing only cottagers and labourers, and people without pretence [...]. I’m sure you don’t want me to admire butchers and bakers, and candlestick-makers, do you, mamma?
Related Themes:
Chapter 30
Explanation and Analysis—Margaret as Priest:
After Margaret's mother dies, Margaret not only takes on the role of comforter and sustainer of the entire family, but essentially does so through the expected actions of a clergyman—her father's former role. Because Mr. Hale's former position as Church of England priest was such a major part of his identity, and his abandonment of the priesthood is the primary driver of the Hales' move to Milton, it's ironic when Margaret suddenly and unexpectedly assumes aspects of that role herself. She does this while her father whimpers and her brother weeps over Mrs. Hale's body, instinctively reciting scripture and ministering to the grieving family:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The night was wearing away, and the day was at hand, when, without a word of preparation, Margaret’s voice broke upon the stillness of the room, with a clearness of sound that startled even herself: ‘Let not your heart be troubled,’ it said; and she went steadily on through all that chapter of unspeakable consolation.
Related Themes:
Chapter 38
Explanation and Analysis—Thornton's Jealousy:
When Margaret sees her brother Frederick off at the train station, Thornton happens to pass by and see them from a distance. Since Frederick could be arrested as a mutineer, the Hales have kept his existence secret, meaning that when Thornton sees Frederick with Margaret, he assumes the young man must be Margaret's lover. However, readers know that it's just her brother, creating a moment of dramatic irony.
Unlock with LitCharts A+The very falsehood that stained her, was a proof how blindly she loved another—this dark, slight, elegant, handsome man—while he himself was rough, and stern, and strongly made. He lashed himself into an agony of fierce jealousy.
