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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 8
Explanation and Analysis—Contraband:
As the Nazi Party begins their crackdown on French civilian life in The Nightingale, Vianne and her close friends and family find themselves having to turn over any property the Nazis consider to be contraband. Weapons, valuables, and radios must be turned in to presiding S.S. officers, a development Rachel sarcastically states is entirely unexpected:
"Bastards,” Isabelle said as they moved into an alley. “And I was so sure they’d let us keep our guns,” Rachel said, lighting up a cigarette, inhaling deeply and exhaling in a rush. “I’m keeping our gun, I can tell you,” Isabelle said in a loud voice. “And our radio.”
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Chapter 9
Explanation and Analysis—The Human Nazi:
In Chapter 9, Vianne learns that a German soldier named Beck has been billeted to live in her Carriveau home as a guest, a development to which both sisters respond with suspicion and internal horror. Isabelle and Vianne do not trust Beck—for he works within Hitler's regime—but over time, Vianne is shocked to discover that Beck exhibits a type of respectfulness and intelligence she does not associate with the Nazi Party. To develop Beck's multifaceted character, Hannah utilizes situational irony when narrating Vianne's changing feelings towards the soldier:
Unlock with LitCharts A+"And a baby will soon be born. We are planning to call him Wilhelm, although I will not be there when he is born, and of course, such decisions must inevitably be his mother’s.” It was such a… human thing to say. She found herself turning slightly to look at him.
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Chapter 26
Explanation and Analysis—The Woman in Oregon:
In Chapter 26, the narrative briefly switches back to the unnamed first-person narrator in Oregon from 1995, who receives a phone call inviting her to France for the passeurs reunion. At this point in the novel, readers do not know that the unnamed woman is Vianne. To draw out the suspense of revealing the novel's true narrator, Hannah uses situational irony to allow the reader to assume that the narrator is actually Isabelle, not Vianne:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“It is not me people want to see. It’s Juliette. And she hasn’t existed for a long time.” “You couldn’t be more wrong, Madame. Seeing you would be meaningful to many people.” I hang up the phone so hard it is like smashing a bug.
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