Caleb's Crossing Irony

Caleb's Crossing Irony

Communication

When Bethia and Caleb first meet, they communicate through facial expressions and a made-up form of sign language. Despite this initial difficulty, the pair become true friends and have an intimate friendship.

The preacher's daughter

Bethia is the puritan preacher's daughter, and we might expect her to be rule-abiding and obedient. However, this is far from the truth as Bethia struggles with rules and often breaks them. She is depicted as wayward and rebellious, which makes her likable to the reader.

Irony of the New World

The "New World" is expected to be a place of opportunity and freedom. However, in the text we see that some people's freedoms and opportunities are restricted. For example, Bethia is denied an education due to her gender.

Update this section!

You can help us out by revising, improving and updating this section.

Update this section

After you claim a section you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. An editor will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback.

Cite this page