Deals: An Irony
Although Khalifa is responsible for running Amur Biashara's business, he is not aware of the deals that Biashara runs. According to Gurnah, "Khalifa would have preferred to contribute and know more about the deals, but that was not likely to happen." Khalifa’s lack of awareness of the business deals is ironic because he was responsible for writing letters and giving bribes on behalf of Amur. Even after working for Amur for years, Khalifa remains in the dark. Amur is a secretive businessman who guards the secrecy of his deals because he knows that they are shady. Therefore, he would not trust Khalifa to keep the secrets safe.
The Feeling of Worthlessness: An Irony
Khalifa mostly leads his life away from his parents. Before their deaths, he neglects them. It is as if he does not care for them. However, after their deaths, he felt "Ungrateful and worthless…the feeling was unexpected. He had lived away from his parents for most of his life, years with the tutor, then with the banker brothers, and then with the merchant, and had felt no remorse for his neglect of them." The ironic feeling can be attributed to the realization that he would never see his parents again. Since he had not been so close to them, he would be expected to move on after their passing. He feels that losing his parents is a penalty that he intended to punish him for being a valueless son.
Asha Faudi’s Inheritance: An Irony
Before Khalifa marries Asha, Amur assures her that she has an inheritance. However, Khalifa realizes that Asha is not the owner of her parents' house. Amur, her uncle, owns the house. Asha discloses to Khalifa that her uncle is engaged in "an evil practice, lending money to borrowers who cannot afford to repay is then taking their houses from them." Amur intended to take the house away from Asha's father because it was used as collateral for the loan he lent him. He dies before repaying the loan. Therefore, the house is technically his, not Asha's. Ironically, Amur defrauds his niece and does not pity her despite being orphaned.
