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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—Gifts:
Alice is a bit of an odd figure in Adam's life, functioning as a pseudo-mother but maintaining emotional distance from both of the young boys. Eventually, after seeing Alice smile to herself, Adam is struck with the impulse to give her little gifts in secret. However, in a touch of dramatic irony at the end of Chapter 3, Alice assumes that Charles is giving her the little gifts instead of Adam:
"You have to know him," [Alice] repeated. "For a long time he has given me little presents, pretty things you wouldn't think he'd even notice. But he doesn't give them right out. He hides them where he knows I'll find them. And you can look at him for hours and he won't ever give the slightest sign he did it. You have to know him."
Alice does not know, but the reader does know, that it is Adam who has been giving her presents this entire time—not Charles, as Alice assumes. This bit of dramatic irony reflects on both Alice and Adam's loneliness: for Adam, the gestures of kindness he makes go unrecognized. In Alice's case, she experiences moments of connection through these gifts, but misattributes the source, ironically shutting down the person actually trying to connect with her.
Related Themes:
