Monday, April 30, 2012

The Great Gatsby (8) - Dramatic Irony

"'Wreck!' said Tom. 'That's good. Wilson'll have a little business at last.'" (pg. 145)

This quote is a perfect example of dramatic irony.  Tom comes across the wreck but he cannot see what happened and he says the most insensitive thing possible.  The reader knows that Wilson's wife Myrtle was just killed, but Tom does not.  Tom assumes that it was just a car crash and people would need auto repairs so it would be good business for Wilson.  Tom did not learn that Myrtle was killed until he pushed his way through the crowd to see what happened.  After he learned what happened, he probably wished he could take back what he said.  Then the reader also learns that it was Daisy that killed Myrtle, which is also ironic because Myrtle was Tom's mistress.

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