The Perception of Anna (Dramatic Irony)
There is dramatic irony in that Marthy and Larry can both tell what Anna is when they see her, but Chris and Mat do not, and act as if she is a pure and wholesome young woman. The audience/reader knows the truth, and can see actions such as Anna’s unlikely drinking behavior (a port wine) as representative of what she really is.
Sending Anna to the Farm (Dramatic Irony)
Marthy identifies the irony of Chris’s choice to send Anna to the farm: “That’s what comes of bringing yuh up inland—away from the old devil sea—where yuh’d be safe” (22). Anna is not at all safe there; she begins her prostitution career as a result of what happens with her supposedly “safe” family.
All Men Fall in Love with Anna (Dramatic Irony)
Chris comments to his daughter that he bets all men fall in love with her when they see her, which is ironic because many men do look at her and desire her and can, with a set price, possess her for their own.
Mat and Chris on the Same Ship (Situational Irony)
It is ironic that both Mat and Chris sign up on the same ship at the end of the play, as the two of them have very different perspectives on the sea and on Anna and are thus often at odds. That the two of them end up on the same ship (of all the ships available!) signifies some larger hand of fate at work.
