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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
Book II, Chapter 25
Explanation and Analysis—Kumalo’s Apology:
Through dramatic irony, the novel’s tension peaks in Chapter 25 as James Jarvis and Stephen Kumalo meet. Kumalo visits Margaret Jarvis’s home one afternoon to ask about Sibeko's daughter and, more importantly, seek forgiveness:
Jarvis knew this was not rudeness, for the old man was humble and well-mannered, so he came down the steps, saying, Are you ill, umfundisi? But the old man did not answer. He continued to tremble, and he looked down on the ground, so that Jarvis could not see his face, and could not have seen it unless he had lifted the chin with his hand, which he did not do, for such a thing is not lightly done.
This moment comes charged with uncertainty. In seeking out Jarvis Sr., Kumalo—the father of the man who killed Jarvis's son—has placed himself in a position of extreme vulnerability. At the hands of a less merciful man, his encounter with James Jarvis might well cost him his life. Placed against the state of South African racial relations and Absalom’s crime, Kumalo’s visit is fraught with all manner of potential perils.
The dramatic irony alerts the reader to this potential conflict. Trembling towards the ground, Kumalo understands the full stakes of this moment. The reader does, too, immediately recognizing his dirty collar and black clothes. Jarvis, bewildered by the sight of the parson, does not. As the family members of killer and killed meet, the novel awaits painful recognition. Kumalo eventually confesses his “deep sorrow,” and in one of the work’s most striking moments, James Jarvis forgives. For now, though, Paton coils the story in suspense.
Related Themes:
