Previous
Allusions
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 16
Explanation and Analysis—Alphas:
In Chapter 16, Mustapha Mond attempts to justify the totalitarian World State's caste system, reasoning that a society made up of independent thinkers equipped with freedom would not function, simply because no Alpha would willingly do the work of the lower castes without complaining. This is a clear instance of dramatic irony, given the reader's own probable experience in the modern world:
"‘We believe in happiness and stability. A society of Alphas couldn’t fail to be unstable and miserable. Imagine a factory staffed by Alphas—that is to say by separate and unrelated individuals of good heredity and conditioned so as to be capable (within limits) of making a free choice and assuming responsibilities. Imagine it!'"
Mond explains why a society of Alphas could not exist, yet the reader knows that it does exist, in contemporary society. The "society of Alphas" he describes is simply a group of non-genetically-engineered human beings who have not had their growth deliberately stunted. The irony in this passage highlights the fact that instead of solving the workforce problem by using innovation and industry to automate menial tasks, freeing people to pursue other things, this totalitarian regime harms its citizens. The people of this society have essentially been turned into machine cogs instead of simply creating machines.
Related Themes:
