The Irony of “Don’t”-“Next Door”
The narrator's wife forbids him from calling the police: "Better not stand there,' says my wife. 'They might see you.' I say, 'I'm going to call the police,' knowing she won't let me. 'Don't,' she says. She's afraid that they will poison our cat if we complain." The wife should have supported the idea of calling police considering that the neighbors are probably fighting. However, her ironic unwillingness depicts the implications of the "bystander effect" which is attributed to the narrator's fear of retribution from the neighbor's wife.
The Irony of Kenny’s Hatred for the 'Post and Tree'
Wolff explicates, “Kenny and Tub followed him back across the fields. When they were coming up to the barn Kenny stopped and pointed. "I hate that post," he said. He raised his rifle and fired. It sounded like a dry branch cracking.” Kenny’s hatred for the post and tree is ironic considering that they are non-living objects which have not hurt him. His act of shooting them is even more ironic. Psychoanalytically, Kenny projects his anger at not finding a deer throughout the hunting on the tree and the post. The tree and the post are accessible objects for Kenny to project his anger. He shoots them to delight in the pleasure he would have had by shooting a deer.
