Irony of Hatred
Throughout his early childhood, Willie Chandran hated his father immensely. He despised his father for all he had done, which included living in the temple and marrying his mother, excluding them from the community. Willie wanted to escape the grasp and influence of his father and live as far away from him as he could. However, despite all this hatred, Willie eventually realizes his father's plight after living in Africa for a few years. He understood why his father had done what he had done and eventually appreciates his father rather than hating him.
Irony of Financial Security
The goal of many people in life is to obtain financial security, which would greatly improve their life and their sense of security. People often go to great lengths to acquire this financial security, working long hours, traveling, and ignoring other aspects of their lives. Jacinto and Carla did the same thing. "They traveled a lot because of their new business," yet all the hard work paid off and they were amassing a fortune. The irony is that instead of making them more secure in their lives, it only made them even more nervous. They were super rich, "yet they still had that idea of a disaster to come. Their good fortune had made them more worried than ever."
Irony of Education
Willie Chandran worked extremely hard to escape his life in India and obtain a great education, and his father labored for this ideal as well. Willie's father contacted all the wealthy men he knew until finally one of them responded, giving Willie a scholarship to a university in London. Willie moved there and studied for four years at the university. However, at the end of those four years, nothing came out of Willie's education and he had no plan with what to do with his life. Despite receiving this great education, he was unable to successfully use it, and the r=irony is that the education did not help him at all.
Irony of Willie and Ana's Marriage
Willie and Ana met a few months after Willie had published his first book while he was at the university. Ana fell in love with his book and desperately asked to meet him; and they did, meeting each other at Willie's place. It was love at first sight: "As soon as he saw her all his anxieties fell away." Willie had never before felt comfortable with someone or truly loved anyone who loved him back the same way. As described in the novel, "what was most intoxicating for Willie was that for the first time in his life he felt himself in the presence of someone who accepted him completely." They got married on the foundation of this love but it later fell apart. Willie betrayed his loyalty to Ana multiple times, engaging in intercourse with multiple women multiple times during their marriage. The irony is that they got married because Willie finally felt accepted by someone, but in the end, Willie stopped accepting Ana.
Irony of Civilization
The Portuguese colony in Africa where Willie Chandran and Ana are staying has a garrison where the Portuguese troops and officials are located. From this location near the port, the Portuguese are able to maintain control over the colony. As the conquerors of this land, they were supposed to be the most civilized and able to maintain a civilization. However, the ironic reality was that the Portuguese soldiers often failed at their jobs and were caught in the midst of illegal activities, while the locals were the ones who actually ran the markets and the towns, maintaining order and civility because the Portuguese officers there could not.
