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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 6
Explanation and Analysis—Republicans:
In Chapter 6, Maria and Jordan exchange words in a conversation that is both amusing and revealing. The excerpt speaks to Maria and Jordan's different cultural and political contexts, establishing them as coming from different worlds. Hemingway employs dramatic irony to draw out this interaction:
"My father was a Republican all his life," Maria said. "It was for that they shot him."
"My father was also a Republican all his life. Also my grandfather," Robert Jordan said.
"In what country?"
"The United States."
"Did they shoot them?" the woman asked.
"Qué va," Maria said. "The United States is a country of Republicans. They don't shoot you for being a Republican there. "
This passage contains both direct statements and connotations that readers will pick up on, but that the characters (Maria, at least) are unaware of. American Republicans at the time were quite different from Spanish Republicans, who were far left-leaning (even communist; nicknamed the "Reds" or Rojos by their opponents). While McCarthyism (persecution of communists) would not gain steam in the U.S. until the 1950s/60s, the Republicans of 1930s America were certainly not far left-wing.
Hemingway utilizes dramatic irony in this passage to establish Maria and Jordan's differences. In spite of these differences, the two characters are inextricably drawn to one another.
Related Themes:
