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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
Part 1, Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—Passing:
The tension arising from Clare's and Irene’s secret forays into the world of privileged whiteness creates constant dramatic irony in the novel. A pivotal instance of this occurs when Clare introduces Irene to her husband, John Bellew, and he comes to sit down at the table with Irene and Gertrude:
'Hello, Nig,' was his greeting to Clare.
Gertrude, who had started slightly, settled back and looked covertly towards Irene, who had caught her lip between her teeth and sat gazing at husband and wife. It was hard to believe that even Clare Kendry would permit this ridiculing of her race by an outsider, though he chanced to be her husband. So he knew, then, that Clare was a Negro? From her talk the other day Irene had understood that he didn’t. But how rude, how positively insulting, for him to address her in that way in the presence of guests!
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Part 2, Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Cruelest Thing:
In this passage, Larsen combines pathos and situational irony to highlight Clare’s and Irene’s contrasting views on motherhood. Clare tells Irene that nothing could be worse than being a mother, a viewpoint that Irene cannot understand:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Clare’s face took on a startled look, as though she were totally unprepared for this new weapon with which Irene had assailed her. Seconds passed, during which she sat with stricken eyes and compressed lips. 'I think,' she said at last, 'that being a mother is the cruellest thing in the world.' Her clasped hands swayed forward and back again, and her scarlet mouth trembled irrepressibly.
Related Themes:
