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Anthropomorphism
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
Chapter 1: The Notice Board
Explanation and Analysis—Signpost:
In the following example of dramatic irony from Chapter 1, Adams includes the text of the human-made sign that Fiver finds so ominous:
[T]here was no passer-by to read the sharp, hard letters that cut straight as black knives across its white surface. They said:
THIS IDEALLY SITUATED ESTATE, COMPRISING SIX ACRES OF EXCELLENT BUILDING LAND, IS TO BE DEVELOPED WITH HIGH CLASS MODERN RESIDENCES BY SUTCH AND MARTIN, LIMITED, OF NEWBURY, BERKS.
The rabbits cannot read the sign, and therefore have no notions as to the character of the danger they face. Human readers, on the other hand, can read the sign and understand that Sandleford Warren is likely set to be destroyed by human property developers.
Adams's purpose in including this information is clear. He seeks to establish out of the gate that readers should take Fiver seriously. The rabbit's paranoid ramblings are not to be treated as such, even if his caution and doom might seem far-fetched. Rather, Adams establishes Fiver as a true prophet—a voice in the wilderness, leading his people away from danger and towards safety. Including the text of the sign in the above passage is crucial: it cements Fiver's credibility and situates prophecy as a serious science in rabbit culture.
Chapter 27: “You Can’t Imagine It Unless You’ve Been There”
Explanation and Analysis—Somber Tree:
In the following example of simile from Chapter 27, the narrator compares Pipkin's knowledge of Hazel's presumed demise to a "somber tree," one Pipkin has planted deep within himself:
When Pipkin had planted in himself, like some somber tree, the knowledge that Hazel would never return, his bewilderment exceeded his grief: and this bewilderment he saw on every side among his companions. Faced with no crisis of action and with nothing to prevent them from continuing their life in the warren as before, the rabbits were nevertheless overcome by the conviction that their luck was gone.
Pipkin properly mourns Hazel, believing his longtime friend and leader has died tragically. Pipkin's expression of mourning speaks to the deep bonds amongst rabbits in community—bonds that have intensified between Hazel and his group of rabbit refugees. Through their persecution and tribulations, this particular group of rabbits has developed an intense emotional interdependence on one another, not unlike trauma bonding in humans.
It should also be noted that the above excerpt is a prime example of dramatic irony. Pipkin is yet unaware that Hazel will survive his wounds—but the reader knows that the rabbits' leader is still alive. As the story unfolds, Hazel is nursed back to health and soon reunites with Pipkin. The reader's knowledge of this spotlights Pipkin's "somber[ness]" all the more.
Related Themes:
