A Study Of Irony In Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Harriet Beecher Stowe,one of the most distinguished female writers in America,created 30 works in her whole life.Uncle Tom’s Cabin,a classic of Abolitionist Literature,is her masterpiece which describes under slavery,how American black slaves are enslaved by white people.When it came out,it aroused Americans’ great attention at that time.It also promoted the outbreak of the American Civil War.Whether it be in American history or literature,it plays an important role.Many scholars have studied the background and intention of Mrs.Stowe’s writing,her religious beliefs,ideology and characterization.However,the study of irony in Uncle Tom’s Cabin is not much.In order to better comprehend the work and examine the novel’s literary worth,this thesis applies irony theory of Douglas Colin Muecke to analyze the irony in the book,focusing on the two primary forms of irony(the verbal irony and the situational irony)that are portrayed there.The thesis is divided into three parts: the introduction,the body and the conclusion.In the introduction,the author and the book are briefly introduced,along with the literature review,the evolution of the irony concepts,and Muecke’s irony theory.There are three chapters in the main section.Three varieties of verbal irony—the impersonal irony,the innocent irony,and the self-betrayal irony—the first chapter analyzes the dissatisfaction and helplessness of slaves under the exploitation of slave holders,and the slave holders under the protection of slavery are becoming more and more cold and selfish.In the second chapter,the three varieties of situational irony:the irony of events,the irony of simple incongruity,and the general irony,are manifested using examples from this book.In characterization,the characters’ flaws will create an ironic feeling that the characters who are being mocked cannot perceive.In the storyline,the outcome is always contrary to the character’s expectation.In the characters’ fate,powerful,overwhelming forces always manage to fool characters.The analysis of the verbal irony and situational irony in the final chapter demonstrates the functions of irony.Verbal irony achieves its tension function by contrasting the text’s surface meaning with its deep meaning.The Verbal irony shows how it accomplishes the function of presenting true characters by drawing attention to these characters’ flaws.The situational irony advances the plot by using a string of ironic events.In addition,it emphasizes the book’s theme by creating insoluble conflicts.In conclusion,irony as a rhetorical device in the novel,not only brings the characters to life but also advances the plot by creating contrast.In addition,irony,as the philosophical concept,propagates such philosophical concepts that everyone is equal in the world,and empathy can promote the harmonious coexistence of human beings.And it deepens the theme of the novel.