The Racist Abolitionists
“The nurses were willing to be served by the colored people, but seldom thanked them, never praised, and scarcely recognized them in the street; whereat the blood of two generations of abolitionists waxed hot in my veins, and, at the first opportunity, proclaimed itself, and asserted the right of free speech as doggedly as the irrepressible Folsom herself.”
Tribulation Periwinkle serves as a nurse in a field hospital during the Civil War. Needless to say, that the object and cause of the war were the abolition of slavery. Although on the side of abolition themselves, Tribulation’s comrades still behaved in a racist manner towards black individuals, which is very ironic. Given that the setting is a hospital, which received everyday fresh wounded soldiers, who had fought against racism and slavery, the fact that the employees themselves still considered the black people as inferior make their whole volunteering ironical.
The Irony of Patriarchal Upbringing
“Having waited some twenty minutes, it pleased this reprehensible boy to make various marks and blots on my documents, toss them to a venerable creature of sixteen, who delivered them to me with such paternal directions, that it only needed a pat on the head and an encouraging – Now run home to your Ma, little girl, and mind the crossings my dear,’ to make the illusion quite perfect”.
This passage is very symbolic and meaningful in regard to patriarchy and the position held by women under its teachings. In this scene, Tribulation suffers herself to be patronized by little boys who are half her age, but who were brought in a manner which taught them that women are nothing but frail creatures in need of assistance and protection no matter their age.
The Irony of Theft
“…and the apples like all worldly riches, took to themselves wings and flew away; whether no man could tell”
The narrator has a way of using humoristic figurative language in the portrayal of even grave scenes and matters. One purpose is to lend the work a sarcastic touch fit to convey the almost comical situations lived by the author herself. In this passage, for instance, the narrator alludes to her stolen apples in an ironical manner, which makes their theft a certainty; yet at the same time, lends it a humorous touch, which indicates her good nature and ungrudging character.
The Irony of Fate
While scrubbing and cleaning one of the soldiers under her charge, Tribulation eyes a talisman hanging on the man’s breast just above the wound. She remarks then, “Your talisman didn’t save you, did it?” To which the soldier answers that it did and that the, “shot would have gone a couple a inches deeper” if it wasn’t for the little bag. This is an ironical situation where fate and belief mirror the inner state of human beings. By means of this brief conversation, the author explains that people are responsible for their mental frames. Tribulation and her patient were both looking at the same thing but from different perspectives. The nurse took a skeptical viewpoint while the soldier had chosen to cling to hope instead. In this fashion, Alcott emphasizes the importance of hope and never giving up.
Ironical Remedy
“The fancy seemed to tickle him mightily, for he laughed blithely, and so did I; which, no doubt, caused the new nurse to be regarded as a light-minded sinner by the Chaplain, who roamed vaguely about, informing the men that they were all worms, corrupt of heart, with perishable bodies, and souls only to be saved by a diligent perusal of certain tracts, and other equally cheering bits of spiritual consolation, when spirituous ditto would have been preferred.”
This passage meets the realm of irony throughout the way with which the wounded soldiers were treated by the chaplain. These men were weak, pained, and even depressed, but instead of cheering them up like Tribulation did, the chaplain took upon himself the grim act of mortifying them and darkening their ideas in an attempt to make them extra obedient.
