Use Of Irony In Edith Wharton's Short Story 'Xingu'

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The realist short story “Xingu” by Edith Wharton presents a prominent lunch club which consists of five middle-class women who are being paid a visit by celebrity author: Mrs. Osric Dane. Of the five women in the lunch club, four of the women are braggarts: Mrs. Ballinger, Mrs. Plinth, Miss Van Vluyck, and Mrs. Leveret. The one woman who is not a braggart goes by the name Mrs. Roby; she is the smartest women in the club. Wharton uses irony to create a humorous environment where all but one character obsess over respect from society, yet in each of their quests for societal acceptance, they end up making fools of themselves. Mrs. Ballinger is the head of the lunch club; she is outspoken, and refers to herself and her peers as “indomitable huntresses …show more content…

Ballinger tries to gain respect through materials, the other women in the group, such as Mrs. Plinth, Miss Van Vluyck and Mrs. Leveret seek to gain respect through being a part of the lunch club. All three characters are not particularly bright. Mrs. Plinth believes that books are for reading, and not for discussing. Mrs. Plinth is “an essential part” of the lunch club, but she never answers any questions; “there was nothing Mrs. Plinth so much disliked as being asked her opinion of a book. Books were written to read; if one read them what more could be expected” (Wharton www.guthenberg.org)? Anger associates itself with Mrs. Plinth when she takes part in a discussion; this leads to the question why the lunch club allows Mrs. Plinth to stay? The club’s response is: “each member’s habits of thought should be respected” (Wharton www.guthenberg.org). Mrs. Plinth appears respectable to society, however, she is simply socially needy, and she finds excuses to help her social stability. Miss Van Vluyck is another follower of the lunch club; she claims to love philanthropy and statistics. However, when Mrs. Osric Dane asks questions pertaining to the subject, everyone in the club, including Miss Van Vluyck remains silent. This proves that Miss Van Vluyck is only in the book club for social acceptance as well. Mrs. Leveret is the most foolish character. She desperately wants to be considered smart, so she carries a book by the name of Appropriate Allusions, with her,

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