What ironic contrast does Vonnegut include in this scene?George tells his wife to forget sad things, but readers would expect George and Hazel to want to remember their son.George is smarter than Hazel, but neither of them can remember what they just watched on television.Readers would expect a sad ending to the story, but instead it ends on a positive note.Hazel says that everything is “mixed up in her mind,” but the reader knows that she is actually much smarter than she thinks.
Answer
A
George tells his wife to forget sad things, but readers would expect George and Hazel to want to remember their son.
B
George is smarter than Hazel, but neither of them can remember what they just watched on television.
C
Readers would expect a sad ending to the story, but instead it ends on a positive note.
D
Hazel says that everything is “mixed up in her mind,” but the reader knows that she is actually much smarter than she thinks.
Explanation
George tells Hazel to forget upsetting things, and she quickly forgets why she was crying. The irony is that George and Hazel have just lost their son, so readers would expect them to want to remember him rather than forget. This contrast is captured by choice A.
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