Irony of Tradition
The tradition of ‘gator wrestling and fierce independence that the Bigtree family prides itself upon is the very force that keeps it stagnant and unable to adapt to the changing times eventually becoming shackles that hold each of the surviving Bigtrees down.
Irony of Maturity and Age
Despite their youth, both Kiwi and Ava display wisdom that is beyond their years. This uncharacteristic maturity is in turn contrasted by the relative lack of maturity that The Chief and Osceola demonstrate. The Chief stubbornly refusing to give up their theme park, withholding the true state of their finances to his family, then trying to foolishly “fix” the situation by working in a nearby casino effectively abandoning his family in the process. Osceola too foolishly fixates upon the dead instead of moving on and serving as a secondary support structure for her family.
Irony of Progress
The biggest danger in Swamplandia! isn’t the alligators that the Bigtree Family wrestles with in their show, nor is it the myriad poisonous creatures that inhabit the swamp that they live in. The biggest danger the clan faces is the slow but relentless march of “progress” coming in the form of urbanization and commercialization. Despite the impressive strength and resilience of the characters they are powerless against economic factors and the need to adapt to changing trends in society.
Irony of The Chief’s Stoicism
The lives of the Bigtree children didn’t have to be as difficult as it was if only the clan patriarch had sat down with his kids and came clean with their financial situation. The Chief’s decision to shoulder the burden of trying to recover their financial losses by working in a nearby casino actually acts as the final nail in the coffin, dooming his family as both he and Kiwi acted as the lynchpin that kept their family together.
Irony of Occult
Osceola kept turning to the occult for her answers and towards the end of the novel comes to the painful conclusion that the dead cannot provide any answers for the living---and that ultimately the dead ought to stay dead.
