Verbal Irony In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

Situational irony is when the situation is the opposite of what is expected. One example of this is how the townspeople see Dimmesdale as a holy, pure role model, when he is the opposite. After one of his sermons, the audience said “never had man spoken in so wise, so high, and so holy a spirit, as he that spake this day (222).” This irony between the townspeople and the Reverend Dimmesdale shows Hawthorne’s views on the Puritan society. They portray a religious, pure character, when they are actually sinful and corrupt. Another example of situational irony is when the townspeople give Hester the scarlet A to represent her sin of adultery. Later in the book, many people saw the scarlet A as meaning able because of the strength Hester has shown throughout her life. “They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength (146).” Not only are the people of the community seeing Hester’s scarlet letter to mean something else, but the letter itself is beautiful. That “scarlet letter, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom. It had the effect of a spell (51).” The townspeople allowed the scarlet A to look beautiful and have a magical effect, but represent a dark and sinful act. The irony here shows Hawthorne viewing the Puritans as corrupt by making them contradict themselves and by not allowing their punishment system to have its intended effect. Overall, Hawthorne uses

In “The Cask of Amontillado,” Edgar Allen Poe uses several examples of verbal irony. Verbal irony is when one character says something but actually means something different. One example is on page 288 when Montresor says “My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met. How remarkably well you are looking to-day.” This is verbal irony because he does not really mean that he is looking well, and this sentence starts the ensuing parts of Montresor luring the intoxicated Fortunato into the catacombs, which begins the start of the suspenseful reader waiting to see if Montresor will fulfill his mission.. Another example in the story of verbal irony is on page 289 when Fortunato has the cough, and Montresor insists on going back, saying that his health is precious, when he really means that he wants his health to decline and for him to die. “We will go back; your health is

Irony, a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result. Throughout Night there is use of situational and verbal irony. This use of irony keeps the reader interested. The use of irony causes the reader to know things that the characters often are not aware of.

In “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe is a tale of revenge. Edgar Allan Poe uses many ironic elements throughout the short story like characterization by using name meaning, costume, and dialogue. Irony defined as a feeling, tone, mood, or attitude contrary to what is expected. The author often uses irony as a literary device to make readers emphasize a point in the story. Poe uses this the irony to categorize the character’s certain traits to predict the story.

In the very end, Dimmesdale’s guilty conscience allows himself to openly confess, as well as simultaneously atone for his sins on the scaffold. This courage sets him apart from Chillingworth who continually shows no sign of atonement for his

Irony is most commonly used in dialogue to express sarcasm and humor, however it can also be applied to add depth to literature. Mary Shelley employs irony in Frankenstein to emphasize the truth and prompt her readers to question pivotal concepts. Her use of irony does not intended for humor, but instead, she utilizes ironic devices to enhance her overall themes and convey the unpredictable consequences of actions.

Understanding he is partially to blame as he was too stuck in his studies rather than giving Hester the love and attention she needed, he chooses to exact his revenge not on her, but on her paramour. Initially, the townspeople take him as nothing more than a kindly physician who is going to help heal their beloved, sickly Minister Dimmesdale. However, as time progresses, they see that “Now, there was something ugly and evil in his face which they had not previously noticed, and which grew still the more obvious to sight, the oftener they looked upon him” (Hawthorne 124). The suspicion Chillingworth held due to him believing Dimmesdale might have been Hester’s lover ended up showing on his face and through his actions, as he held nothing but ill intent which began to consume him. This bodily humor, described as choleric due to the fact that it means irritable or angry, only worsens over time as his search for the lover reaches it’s end

From this, the reader learns the value of truth as well as the result of living a lie. Nathaniel Hawthorne instills the three types of irony to help convey the theme of hypocrisy, and its effects on society and the soul. The Puritan society claims to be righteous and pure; yet, in the novel, the corruption at the core of the community cannot hidden by the deception of the leaders. The Puritans move to America seeking a better life.

Hawthorne also reveals that Chillingworth believes his mission will ultimately succeed, as he mentions violently that “sooner or later, he [the lover] must needs be mine!” (70). This insatiable thirst for knowledge transforms Chillingworth into a sinful maniac. Chillingworth befriends the minister in his search for knowledge. However, as the townspeople put it, “[Dimmesdale] was haunted either by Satan himself, or Satan’s emissary, in the guise of old Roger Chillingworth” (116). By likening Dimmesdale to the embodiment of eternal sin itself, Hawthorne utilizes an exaggeration to demonstrate how Chillingworth has fallen deeply into sin because of his retaliation. Additionally, Hawthorne inserts the dichotomy of Chillingworth and the minister, pitting sin against goodness. This usage furthers Hawthorne’s point that Roger’s quest for knowledge has led into his deep fall into sin. After Chillingworth’s vile plan for knowledge and revenge fails because of Dimmesdale’s death, there remains no further knowledge for Chillingworth to seek out. As such, Chillingworth is broken from his trance and realizes how deeply into sin he has fallen. Hawthorne demonstrates the ultimate sign that Chillingworth has repented when he

Hester never reveals her lover, so the townspeople continue hailing Dimmesdale as the epitome of purity. Instead of revelling in this, Dimmesdale suffers, which Hawthorne describes as “the agony with which this public veneration tortured him” (95). The reverend’s sin is not revealed until the closing of the novel during a sermon in which he bares his chest to the crowd. On it, a nebulous mark of some kind sits in his flesh in the shape of a red letter “A” (173). While the townspeople speculate about the cause of the mark, whether it be carved by the reverend himself, inflicted by the fiendish Chillingworth, or a physical manifestation of shame itself, the underlying truth is that Dimmesdale suffered exponentially more than Hester because he lived with his guilt in secret.

“Irony is a clear consciousness of an eternal agility, of the infinitely abundant chaos.” -Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel. In Chaucer's Canterbury Tales Chaucer masterfully uses Irony to develop the story. The Canterbury Tales focuses on the satirization of the clergy, the description of characters and as a tool to teach morals in the Tales.

Irony is usually termed as a technique or way or presenting a topic with one meaning, not disclosing to the reader that a totally different thing has happened. For instance, one might say it is ironic to save up the money to buy your dream car and it sells minutes before you get there. In the mind of someone like Edgar Allan Poe, irony can take one a far deeper meaning. One piece of irony is the name of the victim, Fortunato. This is an Italian word suggesting good fortune. (Cummings, 2005) However, we know from the beginning of the story that his fortune is not good. The more one looks for it, sometimes the more minute the irony can be. Take the description of Fortunato:

He knew that he was going to commit a sin but he did not know what the repercussions would be. “In a word, Old Roger Chillingworth was a striking evidence of man’s faculty of transforming himself into a devil, if he will only, for a reasonable space of time, undertake a devil’s office.” (Pg 140). Chillingworth gets a great deal of pleasure from torturing Dimmesdale. The narrator of the novel goes as far as to say that he is transforming himself into a devil. He feels this is the only thing that makes him happy. Similar to the devil, inflicting pain on others is the only way he feels happy. “After Mr. Dimmesdale’s death, a remarkable change took place in the appearance and personality of the old man known as Roger Chillingworth. All his strength and energy, all his physical and intellectual force, seemed to leave him at once. He withered up, shriveled away, and almost vanished from human sight, like an uprooted weed that wilts in the sun. This sad man had made the pursuit of revenge the one mission in his life.” (citation) Chillingworth spent a majority of his life torturing and getting revenge on Dimmesdale. Once Dimmesdale was gone, the purpose of his life was gone. Chillingworth had been living his life for this and as soon as it went away he deteriorated. The sin was the sole purpose of his life and it ultimately lead to his demise.

Irony is an element which is found all throughout the best and worst pieces of literature. This is an element of literature which gives the reader an understanding of the story. In Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales”, he uses three distinct forms of irony which add to the story. Irony is basically the expression of one’s meaning by using language to signify the opposite. In this story, Chaucer uses dramatic, situational and verbal irony all throughout his story. By incorporating these kinds of ironies, Chaucer is able to paint a picture through his story. This in turn adds to the overall theme of the story.

Irony is the first element that has changed its definition when being added into contemporary Southern Gothic literature. In a classic piece, irony is written into conversation and events. As it’s mentioned in Stown and written in contemporary pieces, irony is taken in account for other parts of the story. With the modern irony in Stown for this type of literature isn’t just in conversation but is also shown in actions and character. For example, John is ironic when he mentions women in conversation for certain topics. He loves