Situational Irony

Anne of Green Gables

by L. M. Montgomery

Anne of Green Gables: Situational Irony 1 key example

Chapter 10: Anne’s Apology
Explanation and Analysis—Anne's Apology to Rachel:

One of the most ironic incidents in Anne of Green Gables is Anne's apology to Rachel Lynde. She becomes so caught up in the dreaded apology that she begins to enjoy it. In Chapter 10, Anne gives a long-winded and dramatic speech: 

“Oh, Mrs. Lynde, I am so extremely sorry,” she said with a quiver in her voice. “I could never express all my sorrow, no, not if I used up a whole dictionary. You must just imagine it. I behaved terribly to you—and I’ve disgraced the dear friends, Matthew and Marilla, who have let me stay at Green Gables although I’m not a boy. I’m a dreadfully wicked and ungrateful girl, and I deserve to be punished and cast out by respectable people forever. It was very wicked of me to fly into a temper because you told me the truth."