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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
Explanation and Analysis—Full of Crooks:
Holden finds a lot of things ironic about his prep school, Pencey. One of the clearest instances of situational irony to be found, in his opinion, is the regular thievery among the students:
Pencey was full of crooks. Quite a few guys came from these very wealthy families, but it was full of crooks anyway. The more expensive a school is, the more crooks it has—I’m not kidding.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—David Copperfield Crap:
At the very beginning of The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield makes a statement filled with situational irony and containing an allusion to Charles Dickens. He begins his narration by saying:
Unlock with LitCharts A+If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.
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Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—A Game:
Holden and Mr. Spencer have an exchange filled with dramatic irony and metaphor as Spencer advises Holden on the ways of the world. As Holden tells Spencer that he has to leave Pencey, they have the following back-and-forth:
Unlock with LitCharts A+"Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules."
"Yes, sir. I know it is. I know it."
Game, my ass. Some game. If you get on the side where all the hot-shots are, then it’s a game, all right—I’ll admit that. But if you get on the other side, where there aren’t any hot-shots, then what’s a game about it? Nothing. No game.
Related Themes:
Chapter 13
Explanation and Analysis—Malapropisms:
Throughout The Catcher in the Rye Holden reads voraciously but uses words and references incorrectly, often making them up when he can't remember the exact term he's looking for. These malapropisms are situationally ironic, since Holden often tries to present himself in a distinguished, sophisticated manner but actually ends up highlighting his own naivety and inexperience. For example, he lies to Sunny, the sex worker, about an operation on his “clavichord,” and when she asks what it is, he says:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“The clavichord?” I said. “Well, actually, it’s in the spinal canal. I mean it’s quite a ways down in the spinal canal.”
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