Situational Irony: living as peasants
Initially, Heng and his family were part of the elite and they looked down on those lesser than themselves, but eventually they too became just as base.
Verbal irony: Heng’s mother
Heng’s mother is presented as being a devout follower of Mao, but it is later revealed that she was critical of the PRC
Situational irony: Moving to America
It is ironic that living under communist rule was so difficult for Heng that he eventually moved to the US, a country known for its opposite view of Capitalism.
