The False Alarm (Situational Irony)
Hours before the bombing, there is an air-raid alarm and an evacuation order. Mrs. Nakamura evacuates with her children the first time, but when it happens for the second time that night, she chooses to allow her children to sleep and remain at home through the warning. An all-clear is even given just fifteen minutes before the atomic bomb is detonated. This is an example of situational irony: the city has been so inundated by false alarms that when it actually happens, they are not prepared.
Miss Sasaki crushed by books (Dramatic Irony)
When the bomb hits and the floor of East Asia Tin Works collapses, Miss Sasaki is crushed by a falling bookshelf. This is ironic, because the books represent man's knowledge, meant to better people's lives through research and innovation. However, instead, man's knowledge has not only literally crushed Miss Sasaki, but also figuratively crushed all of Hiroshima, because it is this progression of knowledge that has resulted in the creation of such a deadly atomic weapon.
Dr. Fujii (Dramatic Irony)
It is ironic that Dr. Fujii—who, as a physician, has dedicated his career to helping others—ends up living a life of ultimate self-indulgence in the years following the bombing. He drinks, parties, pursues leisure activities, and distances himself with family, concerned primarily with his own pleasure above everything else. This is not the mentality expected of a doctor, but it is an example of the drastic way the bomb shook up entire lifestyles.
