Castle Discovers He Can Run (Situational Irony)
Early in the novel, Castle recalls a deeply traumatic episode that occurred three years before the events of the book. In the midst of a fight with her alcoholic husband, Castle's mother grabbed Castle and told him they had to leave the house immediately. On their way out, Castle's father fired his handgun in their direction. Fleeing for their lives, the nine-year-old Castle and his mother ran as fast as they could to Mr. Charles's store, where they took refuge. In an instance of situational irony, Castle considers this traumatic event to be the genesis of his confidence as a sprinter. Motivated by a need to get away from his father and toward safety, Castle discovered he could run incredibly fast.
Castle Calls His "Uncle" (Dramatic Irony)
After getting into a physical fight with Brandon Simmons, Castle is sent to the principal's office to discuss his punishment. Upon learning that he is being suspended for the day, Castle asks the principal to not bother his mother at work and to call his uncle instead. There is no "uncle" listed on Castle's file, but Castle makes up a lie about his uncle only having recently come back into his life. The principal allows Castle to place a call to Coach Brody, whose business card he got when they met the day before. In this instance of dramatic irony, the oblivious principal speaks to the coach believing he is Castle's uncle; meanwhile, the reader knows the coach is going along with Castle's lie.
Castle's Uniform (Situational Irony)
On the much-hyped "uniform day," Castle waits eagerly to receive his Defenders uniform, which confirms his place on the track team. However, the coach hands out uniforms to everyone except Castle. When Castle asks, the coach feigns forgetfulness as he pulls out Castle's uniform, which is actually a folded piece of paper. When unfolded, the paper turns out to be a security-camera photo of Castle stealing his silver running shoes from Everything Sports. In this instance of situational irony, Coach Brody undermines Castle's anticipation by dramatically revealing that he knows Castle stole his shoes and is therefore unworthy of a uniform until he rights his wrong.
Castle Races His Nemesis (Situational Irony)
At the end of Ghost, Castle takes part in his first track meet. For his first-ever 100-meter sprint race in competition, Castle is pleased to run alongside Lu, his former rival and current teammate. But in an instance of situational irony, Castle walks up to the starting blocks only to realize that Brandon Simmons, the school bully he recently punched in the face, is on one of the opposing teams. With this coincidence, Reynolds sets up his protagonist with even more to prove in his debut as an athlete.
