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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
Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Empty Sacks:
As Bourdoncle speaks to Mouret about the dangers of exploiting women, Zola uses situational irony and a simile to convey Mouret's dismissive attitude toward women:
"You know, they’ll have their revenge.”
“Who will?”
“The women, of course.”
[…] With a shrug of his shoulders [Mouret] seemed to declare that he would throw them all away like empty sacks on the day when they had finished helping him make his fortune.
The situational irony here lies in Mouret's attitude towards women, which sharply contrasts with his store's apparent celebration of them. While The Ladies' Paradise ostensibly caters to and glorifies women, Mouret's silent dismissive “shrug” reveals a different reality. His lack of concern about the women's "revenge" and the implication that he views them merely as tools for his financial gain are deeply ironic. His entire livelihood revolves around women, and yet he could not be less interested in them individually or collectively. This irony is particularly striking given that the entire success of his store is predicated on attracting and catering to the needs of women.
The simile comparing women to "empty sacks" only further emphasizes Mouret's objectifying view of women. Mouret deals in merchandise, which is brought to his store in large containers. By thinking of all women as one day being “empty sacks,” he reduces them to objects, required only as long as they serve a purpose.
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Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—Temple to Woman:
Although Mouret is building the entire scheme of The Ladies’ Paradise around women, ironically he is actually not a supporter of women in the slightest:
[Mouret] was building a temple to Woman, making a legion of shop assistants burn incense before her, creating the rites of a new cult; he thought only of her, ceaselessly trying to imagine even greater enticements; and, behind her back, when he had emptied her purse and wrecked her nerves, he was full of the secret scorn of a man to whom a mistress had just been stupid enough to yield.
Essentially, Zola is telling the reader here that Mouret is a fake and—even by 19th-century standards—a misogynist. The situational irony of this passage lies in the way he publicly elevates women onto a pedestal while privately casting them down. The department store is an elaborate operation constructed specifically for them, a temple dedicated to them as if they were goddesses with “incense burning” in their honor. However, Mouret's true intentions are far from reverent. The language of worship and the fawning of the shop assistants and Mouret himself is a ruse; the "worship" is a commercial strategy designed to extract money from them. The so-called temple is nothing more than a sophisticated trap to ensnare the “Ladies” who come to the “Paradise” in relentless consumerism.
Mouret wants them to feel “worshipped” purely so he can exploit their desires and vanity. This two-faced approach is compounded by his private scorn about women. The “secret scorn” that Zola refers to in this paragraph is the idea that men would secretly “scorn” women who were “stupid enough to yield” to them sexually. In the same way as he would presumably dismiss and disrespect a woman who agreed to sleep with him, Mouret would lose respect for any woman who was ensnared by the wiles of his "Paradise."
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Joy of Action:
In Chapter 3, Zola uses situational irony and hyperbole to convey Mouret's perspective on capitalism and its impact on society. As Mouret speaks to Vallagnosc about the store, Vallagnosc sees in his excited face:
All the joy of action, all the gaiety of existence resounded in his words. He repeated that he was a man of his own time. Really, people would have to be deformed, they must have something wrong with their brains and limbs to refuse to work in an age which offered so many possibilities, when the whole century was pressing forward into the future.
The intense situational irony of Mouret's celebration of capitalism lies in his obliviousness to the negative consequences of department store culture. Mouret celebrates the opportunities and progress brought by the new age of commerce. He believes that his enterprise has only brought prosperity and opportunity to the people of Paris. Because of this, he fails to recognize how his store also contributes to mass unemployment, unfair wages, and the struggles of smaller businesses. This irony is evident in his inability to see that the "possibilities" offered by his store are part of the problem, not just a marker of success. Further to this, Mouret's view that people who do not embrace this new era are somehow "deformed" or flawed exemplifies his characteristically narrow perspective. He can only understand the world one way and can’t see how his actions might affect others.
The hyperbole in the way Zola describes Mouret’s mood adds to this situational irony. The author describes his character as being full of "all the joy of action, all the gaiety of existence" in this scene. This language is highly exaggerated, especially given the topic Mouret is discussing. This overblown description serves to highlight the disconnect between Mouret's perception of consumerism (as something that is only good) and the reality of his store’s negative impacts on society.
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Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Poverty in Silk:
When Denise’s grinding poverty is held up against the grandeur of The Ladies’ Paradise, Zola employs situational irony to underscore the stark contrast between Denise's fabulous surroundings at work and her hardscrabble home life:
That night Denise slept badly. Since she had started work at the Ladies’ Paradise, money had been a bitter worry to her. She was still on probation, without a regular salary; and as the girls in the department prevented her from selling, she could only just manage to pay for Pépé’s board and lodging, thanks to the handful of unimportant customers they let her have. It was a time of dire poverty—poverty in a silk dress.
The situational irony of Denise’s “poverty in a silk dress” stings particularly sharply in this quotation. She works in the opulent and prosperous setting of The Ladies' Paradise, which is practically a temple of consumerism and excess. Yet, she struggles to make ends meet and to keep a roof over her little brothers’ heads. She's surrounded by the most expensive and luxurious commodities in the world, and she can barely afford to feed herself.
This irony is further highlighted by her role in the store. Despite being surrounded by luxury, as well as people willing to spend fortunes to get it, Denise faces a bitter struggle with getting steady money. Because she’s still on probation and without a regular salary, she doesn’t have a reliable income. Her colleagues make it worse by sabotaging her ability to make sales. She’s doing the best she can, but she’s still stuck in "dire poverty." The "silk dress" she wears to work barely conceals the hungry, tired body underneath it.
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Explanation and Analysis—Sales Acumen:
As if to add insult to injury, Denise’s colleagues all detest her for being pretty and learning the job quickly. Zola uses situational and dramatic irony to highlight the conflict between Denise's actual performance and her colleagues' perception of her:
A further torment was that the whole department was against her. To her physical martyrdom was added the surreptitious persecution of her colleagues. Two months of patience and gentleness had not so far disarmed them. [...] Later on, as she quickly became accustomed to the workings of the shop, and proved herself to be a remarkable saleswoman, there was indignant amazement, and from then on the girls conspired never to let her have a good customer. Denise was thus completely abandoned, and they were all utterly hostile to the ‘unkempt girl’, whose life was a perpetual struggle; in spite of her courage it was with the greatest difficulty that she succeeded in keeping her place in the department.
Despite being an excellent salesperson and a quick learner, Denise faces intentional obstruction and sabotage from the other girls who work at the store. This skews her self-perception, making her worry that she is failing in her role. The situational irony here lies in the fact that Denise's competence as a saleswoman is the very reason the other saleswomen converge against her. They recognize her talent and, feeling threatened, go out of their way to ensure she doesn't get good customers. They only allow her to serve people with a reputation for either being nasty or ungenerous. This irony is a commentary on the cutthroat environment of the store: at The Ladies’ Paradise, individual success might make anyone a target.
The passage’s dramatic irony comes from the reader knowing the reality of this confusing situation. The reader understands that Denise's perceived underperformance is a sham, the result of the other girls’ sabotage. They are forced to experience Denise’s pain and worry while she earnestly believes she is not performing well. This creates a tension between the reader's knowledge and Denise's own understanding of her circumstances. She doesn’t know that the real “difficulty” comes from her skill, not her lack of it.
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