Seize the Day

Seize the Day Irony

Dramatic Irony: Gambling

Tamkin is trying to win over Wilhelm and have him invest his money with him, regaling him with stories about how successful he is at the stock market. He tells Wilhelm others "gamble, but I do it scientifically" (6), a statement that is ironic and contradictory because there really is no way to gamble scientifically. In fact, Tamkin's "scientific" approach does nothing but lose Wilhelm's money.

Dramatic Irony: Funds

After he invests with Tamkin, Wilhelm anxiously asks the manager about his other assets, making sure they are protected if something else goes wrong. The dramatic irony is that the reader knows Wilhelm has no other assets at all. His seeking assurance is a desperate attempt to normalize what he has done.

Situational Irony: Wilhelm

Wilhelm is suffering after losing all his money, and he turns to his father for help. He looks utterly pitiful, and complains bitterly about his woes. He looks at his father with "suffering appeal" (106) but to no avail; ironically, his father is stirred "more deeply against him" (106).

Dramatic Irony: Funeral

The most blatant moment of dramatic irony in the text is when Wilhelm attends the funeral and begins sobbing due to all of his accumulated woes, and the outpouring of grief is so loud and conspicuous that all the other funeral-goers speculate as to his identity and conclude he must have loved the deceased dearly.