Irony of soldiers
There is an irony in the way the soldiers were treated in the book. They are sent into exile along with the inmates. They pass through the same situations as the convicts and most of soldiers died with the prisoners during their journey. There seems no difference between the jailers and the prisoners.
Irony of colonization
Another irony in the book is that of colonization. The colonizers take possession of the land in order to make it better and civilized but the irony is that they make it worst than ever before. Aboriginie's vulnerable condition depicts the devastating condition of the land where the convicts were sent into exile along with the soldiers. The land was destroyed by the colonizers because of their vicious activities.
Irony of Convicts
The convicts were moved to a colony in order to reform them but the irony is that some prisoners were not criminals. They were suffering because of the false blames. For example Ketch, who was being loathed by other inmates. He keeps on claiming that he has not killed anyone but he is still hanged to death. John Wisehammer was arrested because of stealing snuff. He also claims that he is innocent but no one believes him. He learns reading and is more knowledgeable in many fields of study. Liz Modern is another example of an innocent convict. She is convicted of stealing food but remains silent because she knows that no one would listen to her.
