The Narrator Feels More Empathy for Masood than His Grandfather (Situational Irony)
Despite his deep admiration for his grandfather, the narrator finds himself disgusted by his grandfather's greed and sympathetic to the plight of their neighbor, Masood. When the narrator learns about how his grandfather has steadily acquired two-thirds of Masood's land, the narrator doesn't feel pride for his grandfather's success but rather pity for Masood. Later in the story, the narrator feels a similar pity for Masood when the men Masood is indebted to take away all the dates harvested from Masood's trees. In this instance of situational irony, the narrator must reckon with how the compassionate connection he feels to Masood overrides his loyalty to the grandfather he had once adored.
Grandfather's Land Once Belonged to Masood (Situational Irony)
In the middle of the story, the narrator learns that his grandfather arrived in their village owning nothing; over time, he bought up feddans of Masood's inherited land until he came to own two-thirds of what used to belong to Masood. The narrator is surprised to learn this, because he had assumed the land had belonged to his grandfather since God created it. In this instance of situational irony, the narrator's naïve understanding of land ownership and opportunism are revealed.
The Grandfather Becomes Indolent Himself (Situational Irony)
Although the grandfather claims to dislike Masood because he judges Masood to be "indolent" (i.e. lazy and prone to avoiding exertion), the grandfather himself exhibits indolence during the date harvest. While Masood and the narrator stand and oversee villagers harvesting the dates, the grandfather sits on a stool and falls asleep; he only wakes once it is time to claim his share of dates grown on another man's land and collected by other people. In this instance of situational irony, the grandfather accrues enough land and power to himself become the indolent landowner he accuses Masood of being.
