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Imagery
Definition of Irony
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this seems like a loose definition... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how... read full definition
Chapter 20
Explanation and Analysis—Profoundly Happy:
When Amir speaks with an old beggar who once knew his mother, he learns about Sofia's somewhat fatalistic approach to things. As the old man tells a story about her to Amir, he uses situational irony and foreshadowing to illustrate her mixed feelings about happiness. As he recounts it, Amir’s mother once said:
I'm so afraid. Because I'm so profoundly happy. Happiness like this is frightening [...] They only let you be this happy if they're preparing to take something from you.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Flower of Spring:
When the old beggar speaks to Amir about his mother, Hosseini uses situational irony and an idiom comparing a weed to a flower to show how unfair her fate was:
Unlock with LitCharts A+His eye managed to twinkle through the veil of cataracts. “‘The desert weed lives on, but the flower of spring blooms and wilts.’ Such grace, such dignity, such a tragedy.”
Related Themes:
