The Man In the Yellow Suit
The man in the yellow suit is clothed in a color that is often associated with happiness, but in fact he is greedy and cruel. His appearance contrasts with his personality, and in addition to being ironic, suggests that people should not trust first impressions.
The Reluctant Kidnappers
Winnie had often been haunted by visions of what it would be like to be kidnapped. But none of her visions had been like this, with her kidnappers just as alarmed as she was herself. (p. 31)
When the Tucks spirit Winnie away from the spring, they are more terrified than the little girl is. Winnie had always imagined that if she were kidnapped, she would be the one who would be frightened - but ironically, her accidental kidnappers are much more frightened than she is!
Jesse's Age
“Seventeen?” “That’s right.” “Oh,” said Winnie hopelessly. “Seventeen. That’s old.” “You have no idea,” he agreed with a nod. (p. 28)
When they first meet, Jesse tells Winnie he is seventeen, and she thinks this is a very old age. In fact, Jesse is actually way older than that - he is one hundred and four years old. Ironically, seventeen is actually a very young age for Jesse.
The Toad in the Road
At the end of the novel, Tuck and Mae swerve to avoid a toad sitting in the middle of the road, and Tuck says that the creature is acting like it's immortal (p. 140). In fact, this is not just a figure of speech - like the Tucks, the toad really cannot be killed, because this is the toad that Winne poured the water on.
