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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 3
Explanation and Analysis—Origin Stories:
In the novel's early chapters, both Enoch and Hazel lie to other characters about where they come from. These moments of dramatic irony bring about important characterization and signal to the reader that the main characters aren't entirely trustworthy.
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Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Wise Blood:
Over the course of Chapter 5, O'Connor uses foreshadowing and dramatic irony to build the tension and excitement. In this chapter, both Enoch and Hazel have plans that they intend to execute on. Enoch is especially eager, as he is driven by a sense of inevitability as well as a fierce intuition—which he refers to as his "wise blood."
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Chapter 6
Explanation and Analysis—Fake Blindness:
When Hazel meets Asa Hawks in Chapter 3, he becomes fixated on the preacher's blindness. In Chapter 6, the reader learns that Hawks feigns his blindness, and O'Connor offers the back story of the "fake blind man." This and later chapters are marked by dramatic irony, as Hazel remains attached to Hawks' blindness without realizing that it's all an act. Finally, at the end of Chapter 9, Hazel discovers the truth about Hawks' eyesight.
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Explanation and Analysis—Such a Good Car:
Despite all evidence pointing to the contrary, Hazel is certain that his car is of the utmost quality. This conviction brings about dramatic irony, as it's clear to the reader (and many of the other characters) that the car is falling apart. When Hazel visits a mechanic at the end of Chapter 6, the mechanic more or less tells Hazel this, so Hazel goes to another mechanic. The second mechanic hyperbolically sings the car's praises, making Hazel content and the reader skeptical:
Unlock with LitCharts A+At the other garage he went to, there was a man who said he could put the car in the best shape overnight, because it was such a good car to begin with, so well put together and with such good materials in it, and because, he added, he was the best mechanic in town, working in the best-equipped shop. Haze left it with him, certain that it was in honest hands.
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