The Help

by Kathryn Stockett

The Help: Situational Irony 1 key example

Chapter 17
Explanation and Analysis—Jesus In There:

In Chapter 17, Minny finds Celia drinking out of an unmarked bottle. Celia sits alone in her bedroom, solemnly sipping, surrounded by empties. Minny is certain that Celia is an alcoholic and that her substance abuse is the cause of her unusual and erratic behavior. Celia seems to be lost in a drunken haze, as Minny describes using a simile, and the scene eventually comes to present a certain degree of situational irony:

Miss Celia picks a bottle up and looks at it like it’s Jesus in there and she can’t wait to get saved. She uncorks it, sips it, and sighs. Then she drinks three hard swallows and lays back on her fancy pillows.