Dramatic Irony In Scarlet Letter
Johnny Nguyen
Period 5
5/5/11
The Scarlet Letter Irony Essay
What if irony didn’t exist? If it didn’t, even at a minimal level, The Scarlet Letter wouldn’t be able to function in its complete and published form. Its frame and substructure of distinctly morose themes scrutinizing sin, knowledge, and the human condition would not exist without irony blistering beneath the surface. The symbolism and evocativeness of character names, for instance, the words “chill” and “worthless” can be derived from Roger Chillingworth, the “Black Man” in human disguise wouldn’t have the same clever power without the literary technique. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter suggests that to find the true expression of each character, irony is essential, …show more content…
According to Mark Flanagan of About.com, “Dramatic irony is when the words and actions of the characters of a work of literature have a different meaning for the reader than they do for the characters. This is the result of the reader having a greater knowledge than the characters themselves.” For instance, in Chapter VIII, Reverend John Wilson, Boston’s senior clergyman, sat on an arm-chair and surveyed Pearl’s weirdly ethereal qualities, then proceeded to ask Pearl if she knew who her parents were, as stated in this quote, ““Pearl,” said he, with great solemnity, “thou must take heed to instruction, that so, in due season, thou mayest wear in thy bosom the pearl of great price. Canst thou tell me, my child, who made thee?” (96) This event developed subsequent to Hester’s visit in Governor Bellingham’s garden. There, she privately requested Reverend Dimmesdale’s aid in supporting that the governor does not take Pearl away. This is an example of dramatic irony because the reader knows that Dimmesdale and Hester are partners in sin, but the characters do not. Dramatic irony benefits the reader in that it satisfies their anticipation because of what they already know and they possess a greater idea of what is to happen next. Hawthorne’s use of this type of irony really generated a thrust of motivation to keep the reader more
Period 5
5/5/11
The Scarlet Letter Irony Essay
What if irony didn’t exist? If it didn’t, even at a minimal level, The Scarlet Letter wouldn’t be able to function in its complete and published form. Its frame and substructure of distinctly morose themes scrutinizing sin, knowledge, and the human condition would not exist without irony blistering beneath the surface. The symbolism and evocativeness of character names, for instance, the words “chill” and “worthless” can be derived from Roger Chillingworth, the “Black Man” in human disguise wouldn’t have the same clever power without the literary technique. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter suggests that to find the true expression of each character, irony is essential, …show more content…
According to Mark Flanagan of About.com, “Dramatic irony is when the words and actions of the characters of a work of literature have a different meaning for the reader than they do for the characters. This is the result of the reader having a greater knowledge than the characters themselves.” For instance, in Chapter VIII, Reverend John Wilson, Boston’s senior clergyman, sat on an arm-chair and surveyed Pearl’s weirdly ethereal qualities, then proceeded to ask Pearl if she knew who her parents were, as stated in this quote, ““Pearl,” said he, with great solemnity, “thou must take heed to instruction, that so, in due season, thou mayest wear in thy bosom the pearl of great price. Canst thou tell me, my child, who made thee?” (96) This event developed subsequent to Hester’s visit in Governor Bellingham’s garden. There, she privately requested Reverend Dimmesdale’s aid in supporting that the governor does not take Pearl away. This is an example of dramatic irony because the reader knows that Dimmesdale and Hester are partners in sin, but the characters do not. Dramatic irony benefits the reader in that it satisfies their anticipation because of what they already know and they possess a greater idea of what is to happen next. Hawthorne’s use of this type of irony really generated a thrust of motivation to keep the reader more