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Definition of Irony
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this seems like a loose definition... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how... read full definition
Part 1, Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—Passing:
The tension arising from Clare's and Irene’s secret forays into the world of privileged whiteness creates constant dramatic irony in the novel. A pivotal instance of this occurs when Clare introduces Irene to her husband, John Bellew, and he comes to sit down at the table with Irene and Gertrude:
'Hello, Nig,' was his greeting to Clare.
Gertrude, who had started slightly, settled back and looked covertly towards Irene, who had caught her lip between her teeth and sat gazing at husband and wife. It was hard to believe that even Clare Kendry would permit this ridiculing of her race by an outsider, though he chanced to be her husband. So he knew, then, that Clare was a Negro? From her talk the other day Irene had understood that he didn’t. But how rude, how positively insulting, for him to address her in that way in the presence of guests!
The dramatic irony in this scene stems from the readers' awareness that Clare is a Black woman passing as white, while her husband remains oblivious to her true identity. John Bellew's use of his wife’s “nickname,” a cruel racial slur, only intensifies the tension. Bellew believes he’s telling a joke with this "nickname" that his white companions will appreciate, but he is actually unknowingly insulting his wife and her friends. The fact that Gertrude and Irene are also Black women passing as white makes the whole scene feel suddenly even more precarious than it did previously.
Throughout the novel Larsen keeps the reader in suspense about whether or not this dramatic irony will be resolved. It’s clear that if Bellew found out, it would be disastrous for Clare. In moments like this, readers understand the full weight of Bellew's unthinkingly prejudiced "joke" and the potential consequences if Clare's true identity were revealed. Her husband isn’t just an everyday racist but a white supremacist who explicitly says in the next part of this scene that he would leave Clare if he found out she had any Black ancestry. The contrast between what Bellew knows and what the readers know emphasizes the precariousness of Clare’s situation.
Related Themes:
Part 2, Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Cruelest Thing:
In this passage, Larsen combines pathos and situational irony to highlight Clare’s and Irene’s contrasting views on motherhood. Clare tells Irene that nothing could be worse than being a mother, a viewpoint that Irene cannot understand:
Clare’s face took on a startled look, as though she were totally unprepared for this new weapon with which Irene had assailed her. Seconds passed, during which she sat with stricken eyes and compressed lips. 'I think,' she said at last, 'that being a mother is the cruellest thing in the world.' Her clasped hands swayed forward and back again, and her scarlet mouth trembled irrepressibly.
The pathos in this passage provokes deep sympathy for Clare. Larsen’s descriptions of her "stricken eyes," "compressed lips," and trembling "scarlet mouth" make her seem utterly pitiable and emotionally vulnerable. This language makes the reader feel her surprise at Irene’s sudden cruelty and her despair at the way she has become trapped in her life of "passing" and unwanted motherhood.
The situational irony here arises from the opposing perspectives of Clare and Irene on motherhood. While Irene sees motherhood as a source of safety and fulfillment, Clare views it as a prison. Irene does everything she can to shore up her life as a wife and mother, whereas Clare is always looking for ways to avoid it. This "cruelty" has opposite effects on both women: Irene clings to motherhood for stability, whereas Clare longs to be free from it.
Related Themes:
