Uncle Andrew’s desire to find other worlds (situational irony)
In Narnia, Digory asks his Uncle Andrew, “I thought you wanted to know about other worlds? Don’t you like it now that you are here?” (127).
Uncle Andrew has a desire to experiment with magic and unknown worlds, but not to go to unknown places himself. He does not want to explore other worlds, and when he is there, he does not enjoy it. The irony is that although Uncle Andrew has a desire to find new worlds, he has absolutely no desire to go to the new worlds to explore them. Digory, as well as the reader, would expect that if someone were so interested in finding other worlds, that that person would also be very interested in seeing and exploring what is in those other worlds. This is not so for Uncle Andrew, which goes against all expectations, and is therefore ironic.
Polly’s statement to Digory about what he did wrong in Charn (verbal irony)
“'Oh nothing of course,' said Polly sarcastically. 'Only nearly screwed my wrist off in that room with all the waxworks, like a cowardly bully. Only struck the bell with the hammer, like a silly idiot. Only turned back in the wood so that she had time to catch hold of you before we jumped into our own pool. That’s all.'” (86)
Polly is very angry with Digory for starting off the whole chain of events in Charn that caused them to meet the queen. However, ironically, she says “Oh nothing” and “That’s all” when she tells him about the list of things he did wrong. Those things were not nothing; also, the list is long, but she says “that’s all” as if she had only said one small insignificant thing.
"I’m afraid it would need fruit from the land of youth to help her now. Nothing in this world will do much." (99), Aunt Letty. (dramatic irony)
Aunt Letty makes this statement to a woman who comes to their door to bring fresh fruit for Digory's mother, Mabel. Although Aunt Letty knows that Mabel will enjoy the fresh fruit, she also is certain that the fruit cannot heal Mabel. Aunt Letty’s statement is one of wishful thinking. Aunt Letty, being practical and logical, does not believe in magic, nor in the possibility of a land of youth. Essentially, Aunt Letty is saying that nothing will cure Mabel. Little does Aunt Letty know, magical worlds do exist, and these magical worlds may contain the cure for Mabel! Thus, when Digory overhears Aunt Letty's statement, he does believe that perhaps there is a possibility he can find this special fruit in another world. While Aunt Letty may not believe in a "land of youth," Digory, and the reader, have reason to believe that this land, with fruit to cure his mother, may exist.
Aunt Letty's perception of Queen Jadis (situational and dramatic irony)
When Queen Jadis is in London she tries to display her powers to Aunt Letty by saying a magic spell to turn Aunt Letty to dust. But because her powers don’t work on earth, Aunt Letty hears gibberish and thinks Queen Jadis is drunk! Thus, to Aunt Letty, Queen Jadis ironically becomes hardly more than a ridiculous “lunatic,” a “‘shameless hussy’….out of a circus… ‘Drunk!’” (93). No longer is Queen Jadis the all powerful Empress of Charn.
The irony is that Queen Jadis, who sees herself as all powerful, is reduced in Aunt Letty's perception to an immoral woman (i.e. hussy), who is likely drunk, crazy (lunatic), and part of a circus, thus making her unworthy of respect or power. The reader expects the Queen to be received as the powerful woman she has already shown herself to be in Charn; the reader knows the Queen is powerful, as do the children, and Uncle Andrew also is already under the Queen's control. However, despite this expectation of being perceived as a powerful, the Queen is perceived by Aunt Letty as ridiculous. Despite being an older woman with no magical powers, Aunt Letty is not at all afraid of the Queen, and is not even hurt badly by the Queen when Aunt Letty is thrown; this is contrary to the reader's (and the other character's) expectation of what could have happened when old Aunt Letty and evil Queen Jadis met.
