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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
Irony
Explanation and Analysis—Brief? Wondrous?:
The title, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, can be understood as an instance of dramatic irony, as the reader understands that neither descriptor is entirely true.
On the one hand, this title can be read sincerely and earnestly. Oscar’s life was undoubtedly brief—he dies in his 20s. And the novel is written retrospectively, meaning that Oscar’s life is already brief in comparison to the other characters’ lives. His life was infused with wonder, too. Oscar saw the world as miraculous, and, especially when he was with Ybón, he could not believe how marvelous love could be.
But The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is anything but brief. The form itself rejects brevity: Yunior begins Oscar’s story three times, two of which are long before Oscar was born. He provides historical context with copious detail, often held in footnotes—which certainly don’t scream brevity. Though Oscar’s life may have been brief, Junior’s account of it is self-consciously lengthy. Additionally, the novel is organized around the principle that Oscar’s life wasn’t wondrous. In fact, he spent it in the thrall of fukú, a curse. Oscar struggles with friends and women and ultimately dies when he is shot in a cane field. From much of what Junior relays, Oscar’s life is more miserable than wondrous.
This is dramatic irony, because the reader, not the characters, can experience the gap between the title and the characters' lives—the irony of the title gives readers a greater perspective and understanding of the situation than the characters in the story possess.
Related Themes:
Book 1, Preface
Explanation and Analysis—Footnotes:
Yunior’s narration is infused with verbal irony, particularly when he’s writing about Trujillo’s dictatorship in his footnotes. This irony emerges out of a gap between Yunior’s stated words and his intended meaning. For example, in a footnote to the Preface, he writes:
Outstanding accomplishments include: the 1937 genocide against the Haitian and Haitian-Dominican community; one of the longest, most damaging U.S.-backed dictatorships in the Western Hemisphere (and if we Latin types are skillful at anything it’s tolerating U.S.-backed dictators, so you know this was a hard-earned victory, the chilenos and the argentinos are still appealing); the creation of the first modern kleptocracy (Trujillo was Mobutu before Mobutu was Mobutu); the systematic bribing of American senators; and, last but not least, the forging of the Dominican peoples into a modern state (did what his Marine trainers, during the Occupation, were unable to do).
This mock reverence is characteristic of Yunior’s footnotes. By following the phrase “outstanding accomplishments” with a reference to genocide and a list of other atrocities, Yunior conveys his disdain—as if there is truly nothing for which to praise Trujillo. His ironic and sarcastic tone effectively conveys his hatred toward the dictatorship and infuses the novel with a bitterness that would not be accomplished with earnest, straightforward lamentation of these tragedies.
Sometimes this irony is accomplished by relating events very bluntly with snide commentary. In a footnote to Chapter 3, he writes,
It was only after the cubano refused to accept the boy as blood that Trujillo recognized Ramfis as his own. (Thanks, Dad!)
This sarcasm again creates disdain—as if Yunior finds Trujillo so distasteful that he cannot deal with him earnestly. The bluntness shows readers that Yunior doesn’t need to editorialize to convey the message that Trujillo was evil.
Related Themes:
Book 1, Chapter 3: The Three Heartbreaks of Belicia Cabral (1955-1962)
Explanation and Analysis—Footnotes:
Yunior’s narration is infused with verbal irony, particularly when he’s writing about Trujillo’s dictatorship in his footnotes. This irony emerges out of a gap between Yunior’s stated words and his intended meaning. For example, in a footnote to the Preface, he writes:
Outstanding accomplishments include: the 1937 genocide against the Haitian and Haitian-Dominican community; one of the longest, most damaging U.S.-backed dictatorships in the Western Hemisphere (and if we Latin types are skillful at anything it’s tolerating U.S.-backed dictators, so you know this was a hard-earned victory, the chilenos and the argentinos are still appealing); the creation of the first modern kleptocracy (Trujillo was Mobutu before Mobutu was Mobutu); the systematic bribing of American senators; and, last but not least, the forging of the Dominican peoples into a modern state (did what his Marine trainers, during the Occupation, were unable to do).
This mock reverence is characteristic of Yunior’s footnotes. By following the phrase “outstanding accomplishments” with a reference to genocide and a list of other atrocities, Yunior conveys his disdain—as if there is truly nothing for which to praise Trujillo. His ironic and sarcastic tone effectively conveys his hatred toward the dictatorship and infuses the novel with a bitterness that would not be accomplished with earnest, straightforward lamentation of these tragedies.
Sometimes this irony is accomplished by relating events very bluntly with snide commentary. In a footnote to Chapter 3, he writes,
It was only after the cubano refused to accept the boy as blood that Trujillo recognized Ramfis as his own. (Thanks, Dad!)
This sarcasm again creates disdain—as if Yunior finds Trujillo so distasteful that he cannot deal with him earnestly. The bluntness shows readers that Yunior doesn’t need to editorialize to convey the message that Trujillo was evil.
Related Themes:
Book 3: The Final Letter
Explanation and Analysis—Ybón:
Situational irony arises out of Oscar’s relationship with Ybón, a prostitute he meets in Santo Domingo. In Book 3, Oscar explains his love to Yunior:
So this is what everybody's always talking about! Diablo! If only I'd known. The beauty! The beauty!
The love Oscar feels for Ybón is the truest love in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. With Ybón, Oscar finally understands “what everybody’s always talking about,” and he can finally see beauty.
The purity of their relationship is ironic on a few levels. Ybón is not an expected match for Oscar. She is much older than he is, and she’s a prostitute. As such, Ybón is considered to be at the bottom of society, looked down on by many. Oscar has not previously exemplified the version of masculinity that might typically be associated with seeing prostitutes, and he has not had physical relationships with women before. But Oscar’s rejection of macho-masculinity—and his ability to look past Ybón’s social status—causes him to form a sincere attachment to her. Additionally, Oscar’s relationship with Ybón is ultimately his downfall; he’s shot for continuing to see her. But even as Ybón is his downfall, she also allows him to see beauty in the final months of his life.
Related Themes:
