The irony of the father's death
The father's death is certainly not what Haoyou thought was going to happen when Haoyou went on his first expedition. By the way, the fact that it was his first time at sea is extra ironic. Perhaps more ironically, he sees the death and decides to take the same risk that led to his father's death. He says yes to life and his role in the universe, even though he is constantly ruled by capricious and evil interests. He says yes to becoming the father and eventually dying, like everyone before.
The ironic Oedipal complex
One way to reframe the tragic inciting incident in the novel is to understand the death of the father as a metaphor. Instead of looking at his father and saying, "I want him to take care of me," he looks at his father and says, "I can fill that role." That role also involves caring for his mother in the father's absence and creating a real relationship between the mother and the son. This is a mythological representation of what it feels like to grow up, and how your relationships to your parents shift when you enter the world as an independent adult. It's ironic because the representation of coming of age as patricide and incest seems a little jarring.
The ironic circus
The circus itself is ironic. The fact that the nameless man is actually the Great Miao, that's ironic too. The fact that Haoyou has a platform to demonstrate his skill is ironic, and the fact that Kublai Khan watches his act is incredible ironic. The meaning of these images is that they represent the manner by which a good, ethical life is rewarded: not by a change in station, but by the admiration of all.
The blindness in one eye
Haoyou loses sight in one eye. This is the consequence of his repeated kite maneuvering, which means that one of the consequences of following his duty is that Haoyou loses half his perception. This quirky metaphor has serious religious importance for Haoyou though—it represents his firm commitment to doing the right thing, but more importantly, it represents his enlightenment to Daoist duality. His perception is half light and half dark, just like life. So ironically, the loss of one eye's sight constitutes insights into the mystery of life itself.
The irony of the gambler
We work hard for our money to provide for our family, but the world is waiting at every turn to try and take that money away again. This ironic reality is represented by Uncle Bo. His violence and sloth are undeniably grotesque and annoying, but the family is balanced. As it says in the Tao Te Ching, the business of the good man is the evil man. He has to solve the puzzle of life, with all its evil and suffering.
