The Subterraneans Irony

The Subterraneans Irony

The irony of the family considering Leo as an outsider

Leo has lived with his mother for 28 years, but he still finds life boring because he is not considered a family member. The reader finds it satirical that a family can consider Leo an outsider, but the outside world accepts him as a good person. The outside world helps Leo to discover his abilities, and he ends up being happy.

The qualities of Mardou Fox

Leo has been living in the dark, and he does not believe that he will ever meet a person with the quality he desires in life. However, when Leo meets Mardou Fox, he is shocked to learn that he has the personality he has been craving for the entire of his life. For instance, Mardou is very beautiful with a desirable attitude. According to Leo, he never believed that a person could have such qualities in life.

The satire of love

Love is complex, and in most cases, it requires the people in love to express their feelings freely without any fear. For instance, Leo meets Mardou, and he falls in love with her because she has all the qualities he needs in a woman. Ironically, Mardou does not know that Leo loves her madly because he is not courageous enough to approach her and express his desire. Therefore, it is sardonic that Leo loves Mardou, and she does not know about it.

The irony of life

Without socialization, an individual cannot live a complete life. The text focuses on Leo, a 28-year man who knows nothing about the outside world. The satire in this scenario is that the family considers Leo an outsider, but he knows nothing about the outside world. Leo only realizes that social life exists when he gets out of his comfort zone and starts interacting with people in the restaurant where he meets Mardou, who exposes her to the social life that he lacked for many years.

The satire of the beatnik generation

The reader asks, 'Can an individual in the beatnik generation be a free thinker when living in a dormant environment?' The author answers this question by cautiously exploring Leo's life for the past 28 years. Leo is a critical and free thinker, but he does not know his potential because he has been hidden from social life for many years. The satire is that a dormant environment can make one look dumb and stupid despite being a free and critical thinker. Therefore, the environment defines the destiny of an individual. When Leo gets out of his mother's home, he meets other beatnik generation youths who open his mind, and at last, he explores his potential.

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