Editha

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1906

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Literary Devices

Dramatic Irony

Dramatic irony occurs when the reader knows more than the characters. Dramatic irony manifests in “Editha” in a variety of ways. While George believes Editha is sincere in her love of God and country, readers know that her encouraging him to enlist in the war is motivated by her desire for him to be “a hero” and to do “something to win her” (1). George tells Editha, “I know how sincere you are” (3); readers know, however, that Editha is merely chasing an “ideal.”

Readers also know more than Editha herself. Editha does not foresee the consequences of her actions. As she toys with George, manipulating him with her talk of patriotism and her suggesting she cannot marry a man who will not put his country first, readers understand that her behavior is cruel and self-serving even though she believes herself justified. When Editha tells herself that she is leading him to his decision to enlist to provide him with an opportunity “to perfect himself” (1), readers see that her definition of “perfect” is hers alone. Although Editha imagines there is an objective ideal, readers realize the ideal is shallow. While Editha thinks her actions are harmless, readers may suspect they will lead to disaster.

Dramatic irony appears in the conclusion of the story, when Editha—after her dismissal of Mrs. Gearson’s criticism is validated by the artist sketching her portrait—sheds her “shame and self-pity, and began to live again in the ideal” (11). Editha, Howells suggests, will not learn her lesson about the dangers of the ideal and will forever lack self-awareness. Readers, however, are fully aware, not only of the shallowness of the ideal but also of Editha herself.

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is when authors hint to readers about events to come. Foreshadowing not only builds suspense for the reader but also helps establish the inevitability of the events when they occur. George’s resistance to enlisting in the war—his appearing thoughtful upon hearing war has broken out, his longing for peace, his belief that “every war” is “stupid” (3)—may warn readers that he will be killed in the war. George’s and Mr. Balcom’s statements that the war will not last long, and that the American army will scare off the enemy before fighting can even begin, further suggest that people are naïve about what the war will actually be. Finally, George’s mentioning to Editha that his father lost an arm in the war remind readers of the dangers of war.

Howells also foreshadows Mrs. Gearson’s chastising Editha. George tells Editha that his mother has raised him to be against war and that his enlisting “will be a blow to her” (7). When Editha writes to Mrs. Gearson, she receives only a “brief answer” (8) from Mrs. Gearson’s caretaker. Howells’s establishing Mrs. Gearson as a pacifist who does not respond to Editha’s letters personally tells readers that she will not take kindly to Editha when they meet.

Pathos

Ethos, pathos, and logos are modes of persuasion outlined by Greek philosopher Aristotle. According to Aristotle, one uses ethos to establish credibility, logos to convince with facts, and pathos to appeal to emotions. Arguments utilizing pathos attempt to connect the audience with the cause by stirring strong feelings. In “Editha,” Editha uses pathos to convince George to enlist in the war. Editha’s statement that the war is “glorious” because it is “for the liberation of people who have been struggling for years against the cruelest oppression” (2) elicits images of poor suffering people in need of help. She relies on empty platitudes that, while they sound dramatic, are vague and meaningless: “There are no two sides any more. There is nothing now but our country” (2). This statement is designed to stir George’s sense of patriotism and fails to offer any real reason why America is right to go to war. Editha is aware that she is “parroting the current phrases of the newspapers” (2). Howells suggests that the government must appeal to people’s emotions in order to draw enough people to enlist because they lack real justification.