Irony of Granny's Life
Granny Lin strives to get a better living but despite of all her efforts she gets nothing. She works in a factory and it gets bankrupt. She starts looking after the old Tang on the advice of a neighbor, but he dies because of slipping in the tub. She gets a job in a boarding school but is dismissed because of her negligence. Although she attempts to help a child named Kang, even by spending her own money but still she is blamed for not performing her duty.
Irony of Diamond Bachelor
Another irony in the story ‘Son’ is that Han’s mother considers him a diamond bachelor owing to this earning American dollars and his American citizenship. On his every visit to Beijing, she shows her pictures of girls and wants him to get marry as soon as possible. She always tries to find a potential partner for her son but the irony in the situation is that Han is a gay so he cannot marry any of the girls.
Irony of Humanity
Han sits in Starbucks in front of a church and notices a car accident, which involves a child. He considers that it would be one of the beggar children, but the irony is that he refuses to look closer. He does not want to know who had died or injured in the accident and gets busy in drinking his coffee. It depicts how humanity has lost somewhere and humans have become so selfish and inhuman that they do not even bother to look after others. Humanity has lost its value and the human lives are no more important.
Irony of Relationships
Sansan sacrifices in order to help her friend Min in the story, ‘Love in the Marketplace’. She asks her fiancé to marry and accompany her friend to Pennsylvania. Her fiancé does not agree but she convinces him later on. They agree on the matter that Tu would divorce Min after a year and then Sansan and Tu would get marry. The irony is that although Tu was not agreeing to marry Min initially but after moving away, he refuses to divorce her and they leave Sansan alone. Sansan helped her friend but she betrayed her and her fiancé who used to love Sansan also abandoned her.
Irony of Sansan
Although Sansan never got indulged in any kind of physical relationship but she is still censured by her society. She remains virgin but no one believes her. She didn’t marry anyone because of being betrayed by her closed ones i.e. her fiancé and her friend, but the people around her thinks that she has not got married owing to her physical relationship with Tu. The irony is that the society doesn’t spare even an innocent person. Sansan’s mother still forces her to marry Tu despite of his infidelity and the town considers her unmarriageable because they think that she is ‘unclean’.
