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Definition of Verbal Irony
Verbal irony occurs when the literal meaning of what someone says is different from—and often opposite to—what they actually mean. When there's a hurricane raging outside and someone remarks "what... read full definition
Verbal irony occurs when the literal meaning of what someone says is different from—and often opposite to—what they actually mean. When there's a hurricane raging... read full definition
Verbal irony occurs when the literal meaning of what someone says is different from—and often opposite to—what they actually mean... read full definition
Part 4, Chapter 9: Growing Anxiety/Two Grandfathers and a Twilight Boat Ride
Explanation and Analysis—Tantalus:
In an ironic passage, Frau Stöhr uses both a metaphor and an allusion that underscore her perception of medical treatment at the Berghof as a kind of punishment:
Frau Stöhr’s affectations were dreadful to behold. “Good God,” she said, “it’s always the same, as the gentleman knows himself. One takes two steps forward and three back—and when one has served one’s five months, the boss comes and adds another six to your sentence. Ah, the tortures of Tantalus. You push and push, and you think you’ve reached the top of the hill…”
“Oh, how prettily you express it. You’ve finally put a little variety into poor Tantalus’s life. You’ve let him roll the famous marble boulder for a change.
Frau Stöhr presents herself as an educated and refined woman, though she often mixes up her references and uses words incorrectly, to the amusement of other patients such as Han and Settembrini. Here, she speaks with a characteristic mix of cliché and error, describing the difficult path to recovery as taking “two steps forward and three back” and complaining that the doctors have added “another six” months to her “sentence” at the sanatorium. This metaphor imagines the Director as the leader of a jail and the patients as prisoners. However, there is a clear sense of irony here, as Frau Stöhr is, like the other patients, free to leave whenever she wants. The novel suggests, then, that she is merely feigning a desire to escape the sanatorium and in fact hopes to stay there as long as possible.
Further, she alludes to “the tortures of Tantalus.” In Greek Mythology, Tantalus was a mortal who drew the ire of the gods. In the most well-known version of the myth, Tantalus was forced to stand in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree. Both the fruit and the water would forever elude his reach, leaving him perpetually hungry and thirsty, a state aggravated by the constant sight of the fruit and water. Frau Stöhr, however, has confused her references, as the mythological figure who is forced to eternally “push and push” a boulder to the “top of the hill” is in fact Sisyphus. With a clear sense of verbal irony, Settembrini sarcastically praises Frau Stöhr for adding “a little variety into poor Tantalus’s life” by mistakenly attributing to him an additional punishment.
Related Themes:
Part 4, Chapter 10: The Thermometer
Explanation and Analysis—Not Untalented:
Before Hans is scheduled to leave the Berghof, he meets with Director Behrens to discuss various symptoms that he has begun to experience. Despite arriving at the sanatorium in a state of good health, he now feels that he has “a little fever” in addition to shortness of breath and an irregular heartbeat. With a clear sense of verbal irony, Director Behrens praises Hans as being “not at all untalented” in being ill.
“You don’t say!” Behrens exclaimed. “And I suppose you think that’s news to me, do you? Do you think I don’t have eyes in my head?” And he pointed with one massive forefinger at his own two bloodshot, watery, protruding blue eyes. “How high is it, then?”
Hans Castorp modestly supplied the numbers.
“In the morning? Hmm, not bad. Not at all untalented for a beginner. Well, then, you can fall in, two by two, tomorrow. It will be an honor. And now, do go in and savor your taking of nourishment.”
Despite insisting, at first, that he is not sick and does not need to receive treatment at the Berghof, Hans begins to regret not booking a longer stay as he reaches his third week there. Around the same time, his symptoms appear to worsen and he develops a fever, though it is unclear whether or not he is truly ill or has merely willed himself ill in order to extend his time at the sanatorium, where he has enjoyed a monotonous but relaxing life devoid of worry or labor.
Hearing of Hans’s high temperature, Director Behrens speaks as if he is impressed, noting that the temperature is “not bad” and characterizing Hans as “not at all untalented for a beginner.” Here, the Director’s language is dripping in verbal irony. Whether or not Hans is truly ill, his high temperature can hardly be regarded as a talent that is sharpened by expertise. The Director’s sarcastic language, then, suggests that he is aware that many of his patients remain at the sanatorium for relaxation rather than treatment, and he is cynically willing to take their money.
Related Themes:
Part 5, Chapter 5: Encyclopedia
Explanation and Analysis—Passport:
Despite Settembrini’s warning to leave the Berghof as soon as possible, Hans stays for the full three weeks of his reservation and, after developing a fever, extends his stay at the sanatorium. Looking over the younger man’s X-ray results, Settembrini uses a simile that compares them to a passport:
He watched the young man laugh and then asked, “And the copy of your X-ray—have you received it?”
“I did indeed receive it,” Hans Castorp confirmed with importance. “Just recently. Here it is.” And he reached for his inside breast pocket.
“Ah, you carry it in your wallet. As a kind of identification, like a passport or membership card. Very good. Let me see.” And Herr Settembrini raised the little glass plate framed with black paper up to the light [...] “Yes, yes,” he said at last. “Here you have your legitimation—thank you so much.”
Though he was ambivalent about the Berghof at first, Hans has allowed himself to grow comfortable in its complacent yet peaceful atmosphere. After receiving his X-ray results, which show a moist spot in his lungs (evidence of tuberculosis), he begins to carry them around in a manner that suggests that he is almost proud of being sick, as his illness justifies his stay at the sanatorium. Settembrini, who is deeply suspicious of the sanatorium, sarcastically compares the X-ray results to a “passport or membership card.” These similes underscore his growing conviction that the Berghof is not truly a hospital, but rather, a kind of extended holiday spot for tourists. Like any other tourist, Hans carries his “passport” around with him. Here, Settembrini’s language is dripping with verbal irony, as he clearly does not believe that Hans belongs in the sanatorium but does not yet wish to express his doubts openly.
Related Themes:
