The Assembly of the Section
The fact that law is instituted and executed from within the General Assembly of the Section are incredibly ironic if the reader considers that they are actually meeting in an old church. The church symbolizes love and forgiveness, as well as justice, but they only use it for their human version of justice. They regularly try criminals and sentence them to death within the church. This shows a devolution in the church and state.
Schism between Evariste and community
Evariste is under-appreciated as an artist, but ironically, it isn't because of his art necessarily. It is that during his era, no one is buying or selling art like they used to. He is a romantic and an idealist. He longs for utopia, and his art is an ironic reminder that his passions are for types of life that are unavailable to him during his time. His life is one of absurdity because he longs for a different society than his own.
Money in the new economy
When Jean Blaise turns away Evariste with his idea for new decks of cards, he says frankly, they won't sell. He is pragmatic and practical about money in a way that is contrary to Evariste's utopian desire for a world past such concerns. He came to pitch a revolutionary idea, but fails because of profitability and money. Nothing could be more infuriating to him. This situational irony underlines a problem with the new economy; it doesn't have a practical replacement for capitalism.
Elodie's irony
When Elodie and Evariste finally admit their love for one another, Evariste learns that Elodie has been seduced before, and he wants revenge. This part of the plot is ironic, because a horrible fight in Elodie's place of work leads to a wonderful turn of events. Then, although Evariste is forward-thinking and progressive, he allows ancient ideas of virginity to cloud their love with unnecessary anger and negativity. This is a complex irony, to be sure.
Evariste's ironic change in power
Power corrupts Evariste's character in an ironic way. He is appointed to a role of authority because he is fair and lenient. In that role, he starts out being fair and forgiving, considering people innocent until proven guilty. But, before long, he is condemning anyone he can, as if he enjoys it. This irony shows that the problem with the French Revolution is that no matter who is in power, that power has a tendency to corrupt character.
