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Imagery
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
Chapter 1: Peter Breaks Through
Explanation and Analysis—One of the Deep Ones:
The narrator often employs verbal irony to make fun of or develop key aspects of the main characters in Peter Pan. For instance, in Chapter 1, the narrator makes an ironic association between the Father's financial knowledge and his depth of character:
Mr. Darling used to boast to Wendy that her mother not only loved him but respected him. He was one of those deep ones who know about stocks and shares. Of course no one really knows, but he quite seemed to know, and he often said stocks were up and shares were down in a way that would have made any woman respect him.
Two ironic aspects arise in this scene. The first is that a man should not have to boast that his partner respects him. The second, and more obviously narrator-driven, is that Mr. Darling “was one of those deep ones who know about stocks and shares.” Of course, one need not be “deep” to know about the stock market. In fact, men who work in the financial industry have a reputation, fair or not, for being shallow and cold-hearted. Despite this, the partnership between Mr. and Mrs. Darling seems to work, as they stick to their respective roles as prescribed by Victorian society. Mrs. Darling continues to show extreme deference to her husband and might even believe that her husband is indeed "deep." But the narrator employs verbal irony to suggest that he is not. In this passage, verbal irony enhances the text's playful tone and reveals important aspects of the Father's character.
Related Themes:
