Mrs. Greeder's Defense (Situational Irony)
When Jin begins school, Timmy raises his hand to ask if Chinese people eat dogs. The teacher defends Jin by saying she's sure Jin and his family gave up the practice of eating dogs before coming to the US. In this instance of situational irony, the teacher reprimands Timmy's anti-Chinese prejudice only to reveal that she holds the same prejudice.
Jin's Parents Meet After a Year (Situational Irony)
Although Jin's mother and father arrived in the US at the same airport from Hong Kong and Taiwan within a week of each other, in an instance of situational irony, their paths didn't cross until a year and a half later.
Greg at the Theater (Dramatic)
In an example of dramatic irony (i.e. the reader or audience knows more than a character does), Jin and Amelia leave the movie theater without realizing that Greg has seen them together. The displeased expression on his face adds a note of tension for the reader, as his face signals that he will come between Jin and Amelia in the future.
The Five Pillars are a Hand (Situational Irony)
Full of confidence, the Monkey King escapes Tze-Yo-Tzuh and travels to the edge of the universe to discover five golden pillars. To make his mark, he etches his name and urinates on one of the pillars. In an example of situational irony, he returns to Tze-Yo-Tzuh only to discover that the pillars were Tze-Yo-Tzuh's hand.
