The old furrier carrying an unloaded gun with the intent to kill Darley
It is a situational irony that the old furrier who was Melissa’s lover carried around an unloaded gun to town which he intended to use to kill the narrator. The reader expects that he would carry a loaded gun since the old furrier was so mad at Darley for having an affair with his mistress Melissa. The old furrier wanted to kill Darley and he would obviously not have been able to do that with an unloaded gun.
Capodistria defaming his father as a great womanizer yet he has the same characteristics as his father
It is a situational irony for Capodistria to paint his father in bad light as a great womanizer since he is the same. He uses women because he has the economic capacity to do so. It is also ironical for him with full knowledge that his family has a history of grave mental illness for his father had made a rubber statue to represent his mother for him not to be concerned about it.
Prince Nessim has a great distaste for money yet he loves to spend it.
It is ironical for Nessim to not care about money at all and say that he hates it yet he is a spendthrift. The reader expects given his spending habits for him to love money for it gives him purchasing power that he wants. He hates carrying around money yet he does so when he goes into the city.
Melissa accepting the relationship between Darley and Justine
It is a situational irony that when Melissa who is Darley’s girlfriend to accept the adulterous affair between Darley and Justine. When she finds out that her boyfriend is in love with another woman, she is not in the least concerned. This is against the reader’s expectations for the reader expects that she would be hurt because she has been betrayed by Darley.
Pombal’s idleness making him successful
It is ironical for the narrator to claim that the success of Pombal who is a consular official rests on his idleness. This is ironical because success mainly is a fruit of hard work. The narrator says,” I suppose the secret of his success is his tremendous idleness, which almost approaches the supernatural.”
