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Dialect
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 12
Explanation and Analysis—Fun and Games:
In Chapter 12, the British officer finds the boys in the midst of hunting Ralph, a moment filled with dramatic irony:
A semicircle of little boys, their bodies streaked with colored clay, sharp sticks in their hands, were standing on the beach making no noise at all. “Fun and games,” said the officer.
Right before this moment, Jack's tribe has been hunting Ralph to kill him. They have already killed two boys and tortured Samneric. It is not "fun and games," at least not to Ralph! For the reader, who understands the situation and its seriousness, the officer's remark is therefore highly ironic. The officer assumes, like the boys had at the beginning of the book, that their time on a deserted island would be fun. Despite being an adult, the naïve officer cannot comprehend the seriousness of the situation, nor does he recognize the nasty things the boys are capable of.
The phrase "fun and games" contains a further wrinkle which gets at one of the larger themes of the book. There is a blurred definition of "games" on the island. Jack and his tribe do have fun with their hunting, dancing, and cruelty, but that does not make it unserious, especially for their victims. Ralph's attempts to set up shelters and maintain the fire are the opposite of fun and games, and this is in part why the others abandon him. Civilization, it seems, cannot be maintained on fun—and cruelty can easily become fun for the person enacting it, which nevertheless does not make it right.
Related Themes:
