Raman Wants a Housewife (Dramatic Irony)
Raman initially purports to have very modern ideas about marriage and relationships but it quickly becomes clear that things are a bit more complicated than that. After his aunt reveals the amount of work that she puts into making the house function properly, he quickly becomes scared of managing it all by himself. He becomes anxious for Daisy to move in and help him, quietly hoping she will take on the role of homemaker, despite her repeated insistence that her activism work is the most important thing to her. In this instance of dramatic irony, Raman thinks of himself as a modern man, but the reader understands that he ultimately wants a very traditional sort of relationship.
The Cartman Assumes Raman is Married to Daisy (Dramatic Irony)
The man driving Daisy and Raman back to Malgudi incorrectly assumes that they are a married couple. Daisy immediately denies this but Raman goes along with it, claiming that they are married and just in the midst of a tiff. This continues to escalate, with Daisy becoming increasingly enraged at Raman’s behavior. The cartman advises them to get these little disagreements out of the way so they can achieve long-term stability and happiness. In this moment of dramatic irony, the cartman completely misunderstands the nature of their relationship and contributes to driving a wedge between them.
Raman Isn’t Emotional About His Parents’ Deaths (Situational Irony)
Towards the end of the story, Raman’s aunt starts talking about Raman's parents dying in an accident. He quickly puts her off, not wanting to hear the story again. The narrator notes that the reference to his parents dying does not make him emotional and that the repetition of the story merely makes him feel like he is hearing a movie being described. In this moment of situational irony, Raman subverts the reader’s expectations by having a chilly and emotionally removed reaction to the mention of his parents dying.
The Bangle-Seller Complains About The Color of His Sign (Dramatic Irony)
While out collecting payment, Raman stops by the shop of a bangle-seller. The man refuses to pay him and asks him to repaint one of the words on his sign blue instead of red. Raman is irritated and refuses to do it, saying it will look bad in blue and reminding him that he asked for it to be red. The man remains steadfast and says he will only pay him if he repaints it. In this instance of situational irony, the reader is surprised to learn that the customer is irritated about the result of a decision that was in fact his own.
