Question

Explain the dramatic irony in Gregors observation that "a stranger would have thought that he had been lying in wait there and had wanted to bite her"

Answer 1

This question is about "The metamorphosis".

Answer:

The dramatic irony of this sentence shows that Gregor is aware of his appearance, but he cannot know the level of fear that people feel when looking at him.

Explanation:

Dramatic irony is the literary resource that presents an affirmation (usually said or thought by a character), which means the opposite of what it really represents. In other words, this type of irony is perceived when the character says something he wants to express the opposite sense of what he said, ironically. This happens, for example, when a storm is falling and you "What a beautiful day huh?", Despite calling the day beautiful, you are expressing how ugly you are.

In the case of the question above, we can see that Gregor is being ironic about his appearance.