The mother pushing her son to be promiscuous
While in Vienna, Jenny and Garp get into contact with a few prostitutes working there. In comparison with other countries, prostitution was legal in the country and the prostitutes could be seen on the streets, walking and looking for clients. While one may be inclined to believe that Garp would be tempted by the prostitutes, the truth is that he hid his desires from his mother. His mother however was the one who pushed him to go and try to become involved with one of the many prostitutes they saw on the streets.
The son of a famous author
Since Garp was a young boy, he wanted nothing more than to just become a writer. As a result, he spent his time writing short stories and trying to become better at writing. Unfortunately, his writing was deemed boring and unimaginative by the publishers Garp tried to convince to publish his story. His mother however found fame as an author and Garp became known as well. Ironically, he was not known as a writer but rather as the struggling son of a famous writer.
Getting pregnant
In comparison with other women her age, Jenny manifests no interest in sex whatsoever. Because of this, it is ironic to find that she got pregnant, something that was associated with promiscuous women who liked to sleep around without being married.
Money is not that powerful
Shortly after meeting Charlotte and befriending her, she got extremely sick and had to be admitted into a hospital. Garp notes that despite the money Charlotte had and the fact that she could afford the best doctors, she still died. This is ironic for Garp who always believed that money has the power to save a person’s life.
Stay at home dad
In the beginning of the novel, the author portrays Garp as a macho man who can get any woman he likes. Ironically, instead of continuing living that way, he became a stay-at-home dad, apparently an emasculated version of his former self.
