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Literary Devices
Definition of Dramatic Irony
Dramatic irony is a plot device often used in theater, literature, film, and television to highlight the difference between a character's understanding of a given situation, and that of the... read full definition
Dramatic irony is a plot device often used in theater, literature, film, and television to highlight the difference between a character's understanding of a given... read full definition
Dramatic irony is a plot device often used in theater, literature, film, and television to highlight the difference between a... read full definition
Key Examples in The White Tiger
Chapter 7: The Sixth Night
Explanation and Analysis—At the Temple:
The White Tiger is a humorous commentary on the unreliability of face-value assumptions. Through instances of dramatic irony, its potent satire exposes all the mistaken impressions and half-hearted illusions that its characters rely upon. One particularly telling moment happens in Chapter 7, when Ashok surprises Balram with a visit to his underground servant’s quarters:
Mr. Ashok lifted up a corner of the net and looked at me, a sly grin on his face.
‘I know exactly what you were doing.’
‘Sir?’
‘I was calling your name and you weren’t responding. So I came down to see. But I know exactly what you were doing…that other driver, the man with the pink lips, he told me.’
My heart pounded. I looked down at the ground.
‘He said you were at the temple, offering prayers for my health.’
Related Themes:
