Previous
Motifs
Definition of Satire
Satire is the use of humor, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to criticize something or someone. Public figures, such as politicians, are often the subject of satire, but satirists can take... read full definition
Satire is the use of humor, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to criticize something or someone. Public figures, such as politicians, are often the subject of... read full definition
Satire is the use of humor, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to criticize something or someone. Public figures, such as politicians... read full definition
Part 1: The Seventh Day
Explanation and Analysis—Family "Luck":
In the beginning of the novel when Roy complains about the rigid expectations of his father, Gabriel, he uses verbal irony to highlight his feelings towards Gabriel's parenting style:
“Yeah,” said Roy, “we don’t know how lucky we is to have a father what don’t want you to go to movies, and don’t want you to play in the streets, and don’t want you to have no friends, and he don’t want this and he don’t want that, and he don’t want you to do nothing. We so lucky to have a father who just wants us to go to church and read the Bible and beller like a fool in front of the altar and stay home all nice and quiet, like a little mouse. Boy, we sure is lucky, all right. Don’t know what I done to be so lucky."
In contrast to his brother John, Roy has a rebellious side and is more outspoken about his feelings towards his father. He holds a grudge against Gabriel for barring his children from coming-of-age teenage freedoms like going out independently and pursuing social leisures. Roy's tone of sarcasm that the boys are "so lucky" to have a father who desires only "pure" sons of God indicates his frustration with Gabriel's strictness and oppressive nature. By highlighting everything that perhaps makes Roy and John unlucky (such as being expected to stay home "like a little mouse") but sarcastically claiming the opposite, Roy demonstrates verbal irony. In addition, the choice on Baldwin's behalf to italicize the words "nothing" and "lucky" strengthens the ironic tone of this passage.
Roy may have a sense of humor about his predicament, but his sense of irony reveals an underlying seriousness to his point: Roy feels trapped under Gabriel's rule, unable to be his own person, and he believes that he will miss out on life opportunities because of it. Roy's independent spirit gets him into trouble at certain points of the novel—such as when he returns to the Temple of the Fire Baptized hurt from racially-motivated street violence. However, there remains a legitimacy to his point about being "lucky": nobody chooses to be born into a particular family, and Roy feels as if he has received the short end of the stick when it comes to being treated with trust and respect as he grows older.
Related Themes:
