No more beans
At the beginning of the film, Ennis expresses his hatred for soup. While on the mountain, the men were regularly provisioned by a man who brought them what they need. After a few weeks on the mountain, Jack expresses his dissatisfaction with the baked beans they were eating. As a result, when Ennis meets with the guy who brought them provisions, he told him to bring them soup the next time. The man sees the situation as being ironical and reminds Ennis that he was the one who told him in the first place that he doesn’t like soup.
Spilt soup
After returning with the mules and with the food, Ennis encounters a bear in the river. The horse and the mules get scared and they run away, spilling the food as they run. The only thing Ennis manages to save are the beans that in cans. The situation is ironical because just moments ago, the man who brought them the food reminded Ennis that he told him that he hates soup and Ennis ends up spilling all the soup.
Searching for love
The reason that Ennis agreed to take a job as a Shepard was to earn and save enough money to buy a house for him and his sweetheart and then to get married with her. Ironically, Ennis falls in love with Jack while on the mountain and he seems to forget the reason why he agreed to take the job in the first place.
Time for a buddy
When Jack comes, Ennis is quick to take for himself a few days off to spend his buddy. When Ennis tells Alma that he will be gone for a few days, she reminds him that he was unwilling to take a day off to take care of their children while she worked but now he was ready to put his job on the line for Jack. The situation is ironical for Alma since she knows why her husband is suddenly willing to take a few days off but says nothing to stop him.
Forgetting something
After Jack and Ennis felt into a routine of meeting a couple times in a year to go up in the mountains, Alma became more distant and cold towards her husband. She also became more cynical towards him and one day, before going for another fishing trip, Alma reminds Ennis that he forgot something important, that is his fishing gear. The situation is portrayed as being ironical and Ennis quickly grabs his fishing gear before storming out of the door.
