The Irony of Education
“It was no use; curiosity compelled him to listen; he was forbidden to shirk one stripe. And that was a communicant, that cursing demon; this was the schoolmaster, yelling like one of his own boys”
The scene described in this excerpt is ironical, for it makes use of sarcasm to covey the true nature of people. The schoolmaster is said to have been yelling like one of his boys. In other words, he manifested the same defect which he feigned to eradicate from his pupils. The ambiguity of this idea enlarges its scope so that it can be interpreted differently. One such interpretation is connected to the state of education in late Victorian England, and how the educators were in no position to hold such responsibility in the first place. Another regards the hypocrisy of society itself, for the schoolmaster who had often combated the noisy character of his students was, in truth, no better than them. Similarly, the individuals who were persecuting the parson for his sin were no better than himself and had no right to do so in the first place.
The Irony of Hypocrisy
In chapter 23, Jasper Musk calls the parson of Long Stow “a sniveling hypocrite” which is very ironical given the fact that he, himself, is the hypocrite of the story. When Carlton sinned, he confessed his mistake and took upon himself the responsibility of atonement and redemption. Musk, on the other hand, was a man hiding behind a mask, for he had set the church in fire, but had never had the courage to confess his deed. He is in short, the hypocrite accusing the honest of hypocrisy.
The Irony of Heroism
Following the scandal of the parson, the inhabitants of Long Stow village perceived the clergyman as a confirmed villain and treated him accordingly. However, it was this so-called villain, who had put his own life in danger to save that of his own foe, and lost it trying. Ironically, the so-called villain turned to be the hero of the tale.
The Irony of Love
The story contains several examples of abusive ties disguised under the veil of love. One such example is that of Gwynneth who was raised by her uncle Wilton Gleed. Although the latter had always claimed loving her like his own child, his treatment of her, over the years, make the reader fully cognizant of the fact that his true motive was her inheritance. Gleed had brought the girl in perfect isolation from the world in order not to risk having her fall in love with someone other than his son. He also concealed from her the knowledge that she was to be an heiress in order to make her feel gratitude, and regard him as her benefactor. Thus, Gleed’s love of his niece is ironically fueled by his own interests and those of his son.
The Irony of Power
As the parson of Long Stow church, Robert Carlton’s sin concerned nobody but himself. His fate was to be decided by the church which suspended him for five years. Similarly, the court had declared him innocent of all accusations. Ironically, however, the power was not in the hands of justice, but rather in those of wealth. Being the wealthiest man in the village, Wilton Gleed had taken upon himself the task to punish the parson when both court and church had not satisfied his desire. Thus, he bribed the villagers and the workmen to make of Carlton an utter outcast, and incarcerate him in solitude when the jailhouse had refused him as an inmate.
