Keep Out of My Life (Verbal Irony)
"'Okay,' he snapped back. 'A promise. You keep out of my life, I keep out of yours.'
'Let’s shake on it.'
He had a hard handshake, yet very shaky, and I could see that he was upset and again I felt sorry for him. At that moment we were both being unrealistic, because I honestly wanted to see him again" (Marchetta 102).
In the beginning, Josie and her father Michael Andretti butt heads because of how similar they are. Both are stubborn and prideful, as demonstrated in the above quote. Both daughter and father want to get to know each other, but their pride makes them say the complete opposite of how they truly feel This is an example of verbal irony, as there is a contrast between what Josie and Michael say, and what they mean.
Josephine and Her Friends (Situational Irony)
“'You and your friends are trendsetters. The girls look up to you. They copy what you do'” (Marchetta 261).
For most of Josie’s career at St. Mary’s, she and her friends have felt like outcasts. Their ethnic backgrounds, lack of money, and rough family backgrounds are all various reasons why Josie, Sera, Anna, and Lee feel ostracized at their privileged private school. Ironically, as Sister Louise points out, though the girls feel like outsiders, their classmates look up to them as trendsetters. Whilst Josie and friends lamented their lot in life and secretly wished to fit in, everyone else was wishing to be them, or be a part of their circle.
Christina’s Father (Dramatic Irony)
Christina and her father Nonno Francesco have a fraught relationship. Christina never knew what she did to make her father loathe her, and their relationship ends when she becomes pregnant with Josie. The reality is, Christina’s father was not Nonno Francesco, but Marcus Sandford, an Australian friend of Nonna Katia who Katia has an affair with during the holidays. The only people who know the truth are Nonna Katia, Nonno Francesco, the reader, and eventually Josie, who Katia confides in. Katia begs Josie to not tell Christina the truth. This is an example of dramatic irony, because while Christina and the rest of the family believe her father is Nonno Francesco, a rigid Italian man who hated her, her actual father was a loving Australian man who didn’t know she existed. Christina and the rest of the Alibrandi family isn’t aware of the contrast between what they believe and the truth, but the reader does.
John’s Suicide (Irony of Fate)
“How dare he kill himself when he’s never had any worries! He’s not a wog. People don’t get offended when they see him and his friends. He had wealth and breeding. No one ever spoke about his family. Nobody needed to because everyone knew that his father was the man they wanted down in Canberra. Nobody ever told their kids they weren’t allowed to play over at his place. Yet he killed himself. How could somebody with so much going for him do that?”
As the above quote explains, John Barton has what many would perceive as an ideal life. He's very kind, intelligent, and driven, with a bright future ahead of him. He comes from a wealthy, affluent background, and has a loving family who has high expectations for him. Unlike Josie, he didn’t experience racism or teasing because of his heritage or parentage. And yet, despite having what appears to be the perfect life, John isn't immune to the perils of mental health and depression. His suicide is an example of irony of fate, because the irony of the situation forces characters like Josie to question the fairness of the universe.
