"The word (for "father" was not so much obscene as -- with its connotation of something at one remove from the loathsomeness and moral obliquity of child-bearing -- merely gross, a scatological rather than a pornographic impropriety); the comically smutty word relieved what had become a quite intolerable tension" (151).
The author uses irony often in the novel in order to be satirical, and he uses verbal irony when referring to "mother" and "father." In the world of the reader, these words have no negative connotation; they refer to the parents of children and are often terms of love and endearment. In modern London, the words are "smutty" and "pornographic," descriptions that would never be applied to parents in today's society. The author uses verbal irony to show the repercussions of a utopia. In their perfect society, all love and emotions have been stripped away from one of the most miraculous moments in today's society: the creation of life. Instead, creating life is simply a scientific process performed in a test tube. Words associated with childbirth- mother, father, baby- create disgust when uttered. The author shows that a drive towards a modern utopia can force people to sacrifice unimaginable things like love and even childbirth. The meanings of "mother" and "father" could not be more different in today's society and modern London. In the modern society, those terms are disgusting and imply childbirth, and outdated and taboo practice. In the reader's world, these words are still very much endearing, and the effect of the verbal irony is great.
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