Thursday, June 9, 2016

Vera is the Latin word meaning truth. How could Saki's choice of this name be an example of verbal irony?

Saki is definitely playing with words, puns, and names in this story. Vera is the feminine root for "truth" or "real" in Latin. Saki is being ironic here because Vera is a compulsive and imaginative liar. 


Framton Nuttel's last name is also suggestive, but it not an ironic way as it is with Vera. "Nuttel" is similar to nutty or nuts, and these are synonyms for things like crazy, foolish, unreasonable, and so on. To be a "nut" can also mean to be very enthusiastic about something or to be infatuated with it. Framton certainly has a nervous tendency, a penchant to be crazy. He is foolish as well because he is easily fooled by Vera's story. (In his defense, Vera seems to be an accomplished liar.) Framton is not necessarily enthusiastic with Vera's story. In fact, it scares him. But he is infatuated with it, so one might say he is a nut for dramatic stories. 


One of the definitions of "sap" (Sappleton) is a fool. Mrs. Sappleton is fooled by Vera's story about Framton's horrifying experience with wild dogs near the Ganges. The name is fitting in this case, whereas Vera's name is ironic. 

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