Charlotte Bronte's Use Of Irony In The Panther
TheWhen contemplating the name Titanic, there is this connotation of “unsinkable,” “indestructible,” and “long lasting”. However, irony quickly and clearly presented itself when the unsinkable ship sank. This seems to parallel the couples’ marriage. In a marriage ceremony, the line “to death do us part” essentially means forever. Just as Titanic fails in the test of longevity, it appears the couples’ marriage will similarly be unsuccessful.
The wife in “Carpathia” is trapped in what seems to be a loveless and quick marriage to cover up the illegitimate pregnancy. She is confined by the walls society has erected. At the end of the story it is evident that she is severely suffering in the marriage. The narrator uses the metaphor, “She was the one drowning. But there was no one there to rescue her” (Kercheval). Kercheval is comparing the wife to the victims but instead of being rescued she was left there to die. This indicates a loss of hope in the wife. She is stuck in a marriage with nowhere to run. This marriage is destroying her true nature, suppressing it to the point where you wouldn’t even …show more content…
Instead of being bound by societal and gender values of the early 20th century (and an unsympathetic husband), a panther is physically caged. The bars that trap the panther symbolizes the loss of freedom. He was taken from his spacious natural terrain and shoved into a box so small that all he can do is “pace[s] in cramped circles, over and over” (Meyer 635). Panthers have the entire African savanna to roam so when one is locked in a diminutive pen, it is simply an act of cruelty. Rilke chides the treatment of the panther. He creates an image relating to animals at a zoo. People watch and take pictures but they fail to notice the suffering of the animals. He directs attention to the mistreatment of wild animals (including humans) and the oppression they
The wife in “Carpathia” is trapped in what seems to be a loveless and quick marriage to cover up the illegitimate pregnancy. She is confined by the walls society has erected. At the end of the story it is evident that she is severely suffering in the marriage. The narrator uses the metaphor, “She was the one drowning. But there was no one there to rescue her” (Kercheval). Kercheval is comparing the wife to the victims but instead of being rescued she was left there to die. This indicates a loss of hope in the wife. She is stuck in a marriage with nowhere to run. This marriage is destroying her true nature, suppressing it to the point where you wouldn’t even …show more content…
Instead of being bound by societal and gender values of the early 20th century (and an unsympathetic husband), a panther is physically caged. The bars that trap the panther symbolizes the loss of freedom. He was taken from his spacious natural terrain and shoved into a box so small that all he can do is “pace[s] in cramped circles, over and over” (Meyer 635). Panthers have the entire African savanna to roam so when one is locked in a diminutive pen, it is simply an act of cruelty. Rilke chides the treatment of the panther. He creates an image relating to animals at a zoo. People watch and take pictures but they fail to notice the suffering of the animals. He directs attention to the mistreatment of wild animals (including humans) and the oppression they