The Blue Jay (situational irony)
One of Mack's first conversations with Papa is about free will. During this conversation, a blue jay enters the kitchen where Papa and Mack are talking, which spurs Papa to tell Mack an extended metaphor about birds limiting themselves when they walk just as people limit themselves when they don't live in God's love. The irony of this scene comes from the fact that the blue jay seems so much more spiritually content and connected than Mack. Looking at how the bird allows Papa to pet and cuddle it, Mack exclaims, "I'm thinking that bird probably understands that better than I do," referring to God's love, and Papa agrees, "I know, honey" (100). Though one would expect humans, who were created in God's image, to have the closest or easiest relationship with God, the blue jay is shown to easily trust God while Mack struggles to have faith.
The Garden (dramatic irony)
One example of humorous dramatic irony in The Shack is the fact that Mack calls the garden Sarayu asks him to help her with "a mess" (131). Though Sarayu simply agrees with him at the time, at the end of the chapter A Long Time Ago, In a Garden Far, Far Away, Papa and Sarayu laugh at Mack for having said this, because, as they reveal, the garden represents Mack's soul. Thus, in criticizing the garden, Mack was unknowingly describing the disorganized state of his own soul.
Crisis Averted (situational irony)
There is a dark irony in the timing of Missy's disappearance. Missy disappears while Mack is saving the life of his son Josh, and the chapter The Tipping Point in which Mack saves Josh even ends with the line "A potential crisis had been averted" (44). However, Mack does not know at that time that an even bigger crisis, Missy's abduction by a serial killer, has just begun.
The Letter (situational irony)
Another example of irony in The Shack is the fact that God communicates with Mack by letter. It is clear that the God portrayed in The Shack is omniscient and all-powerful, and yet God chooses to make first contact with Mack in a simple, human way.
