Point 13: Irony

To the attentive eye, one could easily notice a vibe of irony in between the lines of the first-person central narrative. The major component that acts as a glue for both the time frame and storyline is the reverse-dramatic irony. Consistent as can be, the reverse-dramatic irony found in the novel stems from the type of narrative and the time it was experienced. In this specific case, the narrative is first-person central (as mentioned prior) and the events are all in the past which, translated, means that the narrator already knows everything and is withholding information for dramatic purposes. In other words, practically the entire novel is written with a touch of reverse-dramatic irony here and there. To recycle a previously used quote, “Because suddenly Afghanistan changed forever;” the narrative voice knows what the future entails (Hosseini, 37). In addition, the remaining two types of irony are present, in small doses, in the novel.  In the case of dramatic irony, it should be noted that nearly the entire novel is written from a first-person central narrative in the past, meaning, once again, that the narrator already knows the outcome of the events; there is little dramatic irony for the author prefers the reader be left in the dark more often than not. The largest quantity of dramatic irony served came with the story temporarily switching narrators to Rahim Khan. In this short period, Rahim Khan explains much of the information that Amir and the reader have missed. The greatest example came when Rahim told Amir that Hassan was, in reality, his half-brother. The final type of irony is situational, which is present at the most tense, climatic moment of when Amir finds Sohrab and, as an inevitable plot twist, Assef: “But he was already here, in the flesh, sitting less than ten feet from me, after all these years. His name escaped my lips: “Assef”” (Hosseini, 295).  Once again, it should be noted that the narrator already knew about this plot twist, therefore it could also be deemed reverse-dramatic as well, which is what it truly boils down to anyway. Overall, the irony in the novel, prominent in abundance for reverse-dramatic irony, donates surprise and anticipation for the reader. In addition, these ironies also contribute to the reader’s experience as it heightens the climax and the themes, namely the freedom of redemption as it seems the narrator can write on such personal events that have taken place.