The skipped patriarch
Genji is a patriarch, no doubt, but he has a unique feature: he was never a king. His son was king, and his father was king, but in his life, the kingship fell to another prince. Like the account of Abraham the man from Ur, this story focuses on a rejected man who founds a great family that will eventually become a royal empire.
The ironic mother
Genji's father is a literal king. His mother, however, is like a king's plaything, and when she dies, the king dishonors her by rejecting Genji. It's ironic that a terrible fate should befall the mother while a good fate unfolds for the sun, but the irony underscores the rhythm of life and death and the balance of Genji's character—half courtly, half pedestrian.
The rival sons
The story features a short account of two of Genji's grandsons who like each other dearly, but are being driven apart by their competition for a girl. The irony of their comportment is not uncommon in literature. See also the story of Romulus and Remus, or of Cain and Abel.
The Buddhist nun
In an image approximating a virgin birth, Genji's third princess bears him a child and then leaves him to live a quiet life with the Buddhists as a nun. Her ironic character is half corrupt and half pure, because even though she's a nun, she's not a maiden.
The irony of the gods
In Genji the humans are like the playthings of the gods. Through displays of the great drama and dynamic of many characters, the themes of fate and fortune are raised. Ironically, even though Genji's life has not been easy, he finds plenty to thank the gods for.
