Irony of Jim’s survival
The story begins with Jim being ordered to by the president of the place he works in ordering him to go down into the lower vaults to retrieve anything they might have left before the comet hits. Jim is the one for the job, he is an African-American man, and anyone else is too valuable in the eyes of the president to go down there. Ironically, Jim is the only one that survives the comet, being inside the lower vaults where the dangerous gasses couldn’t reach him.
Jim and Julia meet
The meeting of Jim and Julia depicts the reality of racial divide and oppression of the time. Julia is described as noticing Jim’s race as the first thing when she sees him up close. Jim is described as seeing past the skin color. “He had not thought of her as white.”
Situational irony-the ending
The story ends with a sudden and unexpected twist. Julia and Jim realize that they are the only ones left alive and have a mutual understanding of the future and need to stay together. The story makes an abrupt turn when other survivors suddenly enter the scene, among which is Julia’s father. Jim is treated with suspicion and racially-fueled hatred and Julia can’t look into his eyes. The ending shows the reality of their social and racial divide with a sudden change from the mutual understanding that took place just a few moments prior.
Julia runs from Jim
Jim is perfectly gentle and careful with Julia, ready to help her so that she feels less alone and afraid. Jim doesn’t see Julia’s skin color, in contrast to Julia. He only sees another survivor in need. The narration of their thoughts shows that only one of them has hostile and judgmental thoughts towards the other, and it is the one who runs away. Julia has immediate suspicion towards Jim, and she is the one who runs away fed by her racial prejudice.
