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Similes
Situational Irony
Explanation and Analysis—What's in a Name:
Lady Fidget, Lady Squeamish, and Mrs. Dainty are all assigned names that evoke traditional qualities assigned to women. These names imply that they are delicate and unable to handle difficult situations—that they are, in a word, fragile. The words "fidget," "squeamish," and "dainty" are all intended to elicit specific aspects of stereotypical femininity. "Fidget" calls to mind the image of a person with a short attention span. "Squeamish" implies a decidedly laughable aversion to anything dirty or uncomfortable. "Dainty" evokes a sense of delicacy.
These names and their implications contradict the ladies' actual behavior and topics of conversation, generating situational irony that is, in turn, ripe for spawning satire. The play calls to attention the fact that women are often neglected sexually and emotionally by their husbands. Such a topic of conversation would be unlikely to come up amongst women attempting to embody the traditional, self-sacrificing stereotype of upper-class femininity. While on the surface, these ladies aspire to traditional concepts of honor and dignity, they use this attitude to mask their actual desires. Horner calls the three women out for this, noting that they view pretensions of honor and dignity as unrelated or even opposed to the sexual liberation they secretly crave.
Related Themes:
