Irony in 3 Classics

Irony is a literary device which can create suspense or humour by intelligently implementing contrast to the texts written. Harper Lee, William Shakespeare and William Golding demonstrate that in these timeless classics, irony is used to highlight the themes of prejudice, love and the loss of innocence.

Firstly, in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the literary device of irony to put the emphasis on the theme of prejudice. Mr. Tom Robinson is a black man accused of assaulting Mayella Ewell in Maycomb County, Alabama. Scout, Jem and Dill, the main characters, want to watch the trial as Scout and Jem’s father, Atticus, is defending Tom Robinson. The trial gets rowdy and aggressive facts and gestures are thrown. Dill, the younger boy, gets upset and leaves the courtroom. Scout follows him outside for comfort and catches him sitting with Mr. Dolphus Raymond. Dolphus Raymond is a white man who had married a black woman and had kids. He is prejudiced in Maycomb because of that personal decision. Even Scout is unsure of what to think as she narrates: “Somehow, I didn’t think Atticus would like it if we became friendly with Mr. Raymond.” (202) This clearly demonstrates how irony is used to highlight the theme of prejudice in the novel. Since the story is set in the segregated south in the 1930s, the people of that time period would automatically prejudice Mr. Raymond because he is personally involved with a black woman. Scout, an innocent child, thinks that even Atticus would not like her talking and becoming friends with him. Ironically, Atticus is the most non-prejudicing man in Maycomb County and would actually encourage them to befriend people who are shunned. After the trial was over, the town settled down and school time rolled around for Jem, Dill and Scout. A school project Scout had to do was to pick a current event happening around the world. One child had picked Adolf Hitler’s hate crimes against the Jewish population in