Abstract: There is a critical consensus among scholars both at home and abroad that Mansfield’s “A Dill Pickle” directs irony only at the egotistical male protagonist, and that the author, with a feminist stance, is very sympathetic towards the female protagonist, who is subject to masculine domination. This is a justifiable interpretation of the plot development. Behind the plot development, however, there exists a covert trajectory of signification which, through the female protagonist’s perspective, implicitly conveys her own egotism, set off by the male protagonist’s discourse. With the discovery of the dual narrative progression, the authorial irony changes from single to twofold, the images of the protagonists transform from more or less flat to much rounder, and the tension of the work increases greatly. Only by uncovering the dual trajectory of signification can we perceive the rich and complex thematic significance of the work and fully appreciate the ingenious artistry of Mansfield. Moreover, the unveiling of the dual dynamics leads to the perception of the limitations in existing interpretations and the main reasons underlying the limitations.

Key words: Mansfield, "A Dill Pickle", dual narrative progression, twofold irony, interplay between overt and covert