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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
Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—Limerickmen:
Malachy Sr. explains to Angela that while prospective employers initially show him respect and imply they are willing to hire him, they ultimately choose a “Limerickman” over him every time:
Bosses and foremen always show him respect and say they’re ready to hire him, but when he opens his mouth and they hear the North of Ireland accent, they take a Limerickman instead. That’s what he tells Mam by the fire [...] and when she says, Why can’t you try to talk like a Limerickman? he says he’ll never sink that low and the greatest sorrow of his life is that his sons are now afflicted with the Limerick accent. She says, Sorry for your troubles and I hope that’s all you’ll ever have.
The verbal irony in Angela’s curt response, “Sorry for your troubles and I hope that’s all you’ll ever have,” shows her frustration with Malachy Sr.’s priorities. While he fixates on his accent, and the tension between Northern and Southern Irish folks is clearly a factor in his struggle to find work, it’s evidently also his bad reputation and his alcoholism that cause him to be unable to keep any job he gets. Despite this, he laments his sons’ “affliction” of speaking with a Limerick accent, even though doing so himself would presumably help him find a job. This is one of many moments in the novel where Malachy Sr.’s pride outweighs his sense of responsibility. He will not "stoop so low" as to speak like a Limerickman himself, even if that means he and his family must be homeless and starving.
Angela recognizes that their true troubles are far more immediate than the "low" accent her children speak with (and, it should be noted, that she speaks with herself). By sarcastically stating that she hopes this “trouble” with accents will be his greatest hardship, Angela points out the absurdity of Malachy Sr.’s complaint in light of their very precarious circumstances.
Related Themes:
