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Dialect
Definition of Dramatic Irony
Dramatic irony is a plot device often used in theater, literature, film, and television to highlight the difference between a character's understanding of a given situation, and that of the... read full definition
Dramatic irony is a plot device often used in theater, literature, film, and television to highlight the difference between a character's understanding of a given... read full definition
Dramatic irony is a plot device often used in theater, literature, film, and television to highlight the difference between a... read full definition
Chapter 51
Explanation and Analysis—Tattoos:
In the following example of dramatic irony from Chapter 51, the narrator likens Jewishness to a tattoo upon the skin, not easily hidden by clothing:
“There is no shame attaching to me. I have no reason to be ashamed. I rid myself of the Jewish tatters and gibberish that make people nudge each other at sight of us, as if we were tattooed under our clothes, though our faces are as whole as theirs. I delivered you from the pelting contempt that pursues Jewish separateness. I am not ashamed that I did it. It was the better for you.”
This is a grim example of dramatic irony, particularly in the minds of modern readers. The statement "as if we were tattooed under our clothes" tragically predicts the Holocaust and the Nazi practice of tattooing or branding Jewish prisoners. While Leonora does not have a physical tattoo on her body distinguishing her as a Jew, she feels that participation in Judaism has much the same effect: a brand, on her skin, denoting her as part of a marginalized ethnicity for all to see. She resents this and does not seek to repair her connection to Judaism, taking measures to remove this metaphorical tattoo on her skin.
Related Themes:
