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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—Useless Gifts:
Jim and Della's useless gifts are examples of situational irony, because the results of their gift-giving are the opposite of what's expected. When Della opens Jim's gift, she finds the hair combs she's coveted for a long time:
Beautiful combs, pure tortoise shell, with jewelled rims—just the shade to wear in the beautiful vanished hair. They were expensive combs, she knew, and her heart had simply craved and yearned over them without the least hope of possession. And now, they were hers, but the tresses that should have adorned the coveted adornments were gone.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Too Nice to Use:
After Della shows Jim the watch chain she's bought him and asks for his watch, he responds with a smile and an ironic comment:
Unlock with LitCharts A+"Dell [...] let's put our Christmas presents away and keep 'em a while. They're too nice to use just at present. I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs."
Related Themes:
