Wide Sargasso Sea
by Jean Rhys
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Wide Sargasso Sea: Irony 2 key examples

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

Key Examples in Wide Sargasso Sea

Irony
Explanation and Analysis—Blindness and Deafness:

In Wide Sargasso Sea, characters invoke deafness and blindness as metaphors for an unwillingness to confront the truth. While these conditions sometimes carry a negative connotation, characters at other times identify them as desirable qualities. In one instance, the motif coincides with dramatic irony and foreshadowing.

Part 3
Explanation and Analysis—Have You Seen a Ghost?:

In the third part, Antoinette roams around the house after Grace Poole has fallen asleep. She doesn't know where she is but worries about encountering a ghost that she's heard people talk about. This gives rise to dramatic irony, as the reader knows that Antoinette is the ghost in question.

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