Unusual beginning
The author ironically starts the story in an unusual way, assuming that “every tale about every young man there ever was or will be could start in a similar manner”, but “there was much about this young man and what happened to him that was unusual, although even he never knew the whole of it”. The irony shows that people never know themselves fully and trustfully, nothing to say of the others. Also the irony concerns a traditional way of “telling stories”, and the author does not want to fit into these frames, thus, the irony is not contextual.
The fight to laugh at
The fight between Tommy Forester and Alum Bey is ironically depicted, and has a humorous effect. “Tommy Forester removed his shirt and raised his fists in front of him. The stranger laughed, and spat onto the grass, and then he seized Tommy’s right hand and sent him flying onto the ground, chin-first. Tommy clambered to his feet and ran at the stranger. He landed a glancing blow on the man’s cheek, before finding himself facedown in the dirt, his face being slammed into the mud, with the wind knocked out of him. Alum Bey sat on top of him and chuckled, and said something in Arabic. That quickly, and that easily, the fight was over.” Though the actions of the story take place in the beginning of the 19th century, which is almost two hundred years ago, the human values and moral are mocked at. Fighting is not the way how problems should be solved, and though truth is on Tommy’s side, he is the one who loses. The ironic situation shows absurdity of fighting.
Courting
Dunstan Thorn had a lady of heart, Daisy Hempstock, “a young woman of similar practicality”. There meetings are ironically depicted: “they would walk, on fair evenings, around the village, and discuss the theory of crop rotation, and the weather, and other such sensible matters; and on these walks, upon which they were invariably accompanied by Daisy’s mother and younger sister walking a healthy six paces behind, they would, from time to time, stare at each other lovingly”. Though the presence of the mother at the date of “two in love” creates the ironical connotation, it implies at the same time tenderness and respect.
Painful irony
The girl Dunstan has met at the market turned out to be a slave, that’s why she had no name. she said that she would answer to “ ‘hey, you!’ or to ‘girl!’ or to ‘foolish slattern!’ or to many another imprecation.” The irony applies to the awfulness of losing one’s liberty.
