Peter Pan
by J.M. Barrie

Peter Pan: Irony 1 key example

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: Peter Breaks Through
Explanation and Analysis—One of the Deep Ones:

The narrator often employs verbal irony to make fun of or develop key aspects of the main characters in Peter Pan. For instance, in Chapter 1, the narrator makes an ironic association between the Father's financial knowledge and his depth of character:  

Mr. Darling used to boast to Wendy that her mother not only loved him but respected him. He was one of those deep ones who know about stocks and shares. Of course no one really knows, but he quite seemed to know, and he often said stocks were up and shares were down in a way that would have made any woman respect him.