Situational Irony: Stepping on Marial's hand
After joining the second group, Salva made a new friend, a boy who was roughly the same age as he was. The boy’s name was Marial, and the instance in which they met was less than ideal. In fact, the first time Salva met Marial, he injured him by stepping onto his hand. Ironically, instead of getting angry at Salva, Marial became one of his closest friends.
Situational Irony: Unhappy when in a calm situation
During their journey on the Nile, the group stopped on an island in the middle of the Nile where they encountered a friendly group of people who feed them and gave them a place to sleep for the night. The island was probably the safest place the group stumbled upon during their journey and yet, they were unable to relax. Salva notes that on the island, he was tenser than in the open where he knew he could either be killed by wild animals or be attacked by rebels.
Verbal Irony: School
At the very beginning of the novel, the narrator introduces Salva and explains that "Everything about him was paying attention to the teacher—everything except his eyes and his mind" (1). This is an amusing and ironic statement, for looking like one is paying attention because of posture is not at all actually paying attention. Salva's mind and even his eyes are on the road outside, and if he were asked what the teacher was saying, he no doubt would not be able to respond effectively.
Situational Irony: Walking
When Salva runs into the bush to escape the gunfire and being conscripted against his will, he joins up with others fleeing the violence. They begin walking; since walking normally has an endpoint, it is ironic when Salva thinks that they are essentially "walking to nowhere" (23). This ironic statement puts into starker contrast the lives of the people before they ran away and their life now as refugees, which is characterized by uncertainty and fear.
