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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
Section 3
Explanation and Analysis—Miss Emily's Relationship:
Miss Emily is a part of the formerly wealthy and influential Grierson family. Because of her family name, the townspeople hold Miss Emily to certain standards. Irony, then, is shown through Miss Emily's transgressive relationship with Homer Barron, which contradicts what the townspeople expect of a Grierson:
She carried her head high enough—even when we believed that she was fallen. It was as if she demanded more than ever the recognition of her dignity as the last Grierson; as if it had wanted that touch of earthiness to reaffirm her imperviousness. Like when she bought the rat poison, the arsenic. That was over a year after they had begun to say "Poor Emily," and while the two female cousins were visiting her.
The older townspeople do not approve of Miss Emily, who is a Southerner, having a relationship with someone who not only does manual labor for a living but who is also a Northerner. The townspeople see Miss Emily's relationship with Homer as a product of her impending madness and desperation. For her part, however, Miss Emily believes that her relationship with someone like Homer shows that she is not pitiable. Rather, it shows that the Grierson name is too lofty to be degraded, even by something as “earthy” and unexpected as dating Homer Barron.
Another instance of irony is when Homer reveals that he is not a marrying man, but Miss Emily still intends to have him:
Then we said, "She will persuade him yet," because Homer himself had remarked—he liked men, and it was known that he drank with the younger men in the Elks' Club—that he was not a marrying man. Later we said, "Poor Emily" behind the jalousies as they passed on Sunday afternoon in the glittering buggy, Miss Emily with her head high and Homer Barron with his hat cocked and a cigar in his teeth, reins and whip in a yellow glove.
This quote is ironic because Homer couldn’t make it any clearer that he prefers male company and doesn’t share Miss Emily’s interest in marrying. Nevertheless, Miss Emily insists on acting the part of a properly matched and equally devoted Southern couple. This irony further highlights Miss Emily’s limited options within the old Southern conventions she insists on upholding.
Section 4
Explanation and Analysis—Miss Emily's Taxes:
Satire and irony are shown through the situation of Miss Emily's taxes. Her refusing to pay taxes becomes a problem with the new generation, but because of Colonel Sartoris's inventive tale of the remittance being a repayment to her father for having loaned the town money, Miss Emily believes that she was given the right to not pay taxes and therefore is justified in her refusal. In reality, the irony is that Miss Emily's wealth is depleted, and exempting her from taxes is a form of charity. Being poor, the only influence that Miss Emily has is in the weight of her family name. The story can be read as a satire of this scenario, a not uncommon one in the turn-of-the-century South. The paragraph below is one example that highlights the satire and irony of Miss Emily's tax situation:
From that time on her front door remained closed, save for a period of six or seven years, when she was about forty, during which she gave lessons in china-painting. She fitted up a studio in one of the downstairs rooms, where the daughters and granddaughters of Colonel Sartoris' contemporaries were sent to her with the same regularity and in the same spirit that they were sent to church on Sundays with a twenty-five-cent piece for the collection plate. Meanwhile her taxes had been remitted.
While Miss Emily may be able to afford to pay taxes now, thanks to her self-employment, her income seems to also be a form of charity, as it is compared to the money put into the collection plate at church. Further, the fact that her income is provided for by the daughters and granddaughters of Colonel Sartoris's contemporaries shows that it is the same people all along that are supporting her, making the reader wonder if her students are really interested in china-painting. Thus, while Miss Emily will not accept charity directly, the irony is that she does accept it when it is disguised in the form of income.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Miss Emily's Relationship:
Miss Emily is a part of the formerly wealthy and influential Grierson family. Because of her family name, the townspeople hold Miss Emily to certain standards. Irony, then, is shown through Miss Emily's transgressive relationship with Homer Barron, which contradicts what the townspeople expect of a Grierson:
She carried her head high enough—even when we believed that she was fallen. It was as if she demanded more than ever the recognition of her dignity as the last Grierson; as if it had wanted that touch of earthiness to reaffirm her imperviousness. Like when she bought the rat poison, the arsenic. That was over a year after they had begun to say "Poor Emily," and while the two female cousins were visiting her.
The older townspeople do not approve of Miss Emily, who is a Southerner, having a relationship with someone who not only does manual labor for a living but who is also a Northerner. The townspeople see Miss Emily's relationship with Homer as a product of her impending madness and desperation. For her part, however, Miss Emily believes that her relationship with someone like Homer shows that she is not pitiable. Rather, it shows that the Grierson name is too lofty to be degraded, even by something as “earthy” and unexpected as dating Homer Barron.
Another instance of irony is when Homer reveals that he is not a marrying man, but Miss Emily still intends to have him:
Then we said, "She will persuade him yet," because Homer himself had remarked—he liked men, and it was known that he drank with the younger men in the Elks' Club—that he was not a marrying man. Later we said, "Poor Emily" behind the jalousies as they passed on Sunday afternoon in the glittering buggy, Miss Emily with her head high and Homer Barron with his hat cocked and a cigar in his teeth, reins and whip in a yellow glove.
This quote is ironic because Homer couldn’t make it any clearer that he prefers male company and doesn’t share Miss Emily’s interest in marrying. Nevertheless, Miss Emily insists on acting the part of a properly matched and equally devoted Southern couple. This irony further highlights Miss Emily’s limited options within the old Southern conventions she insists on upholding.
