Irony of John's lifestyle
One of the most paradoxical and ironical aspects of Jonah’s Gourd Vine is how John’s deeds severely defer from what he’s preaching. Even as the most beloved and respected pastor in town, he doesn’t succeed in controlling his sexual desires and engages in series of affairs. Not only does he hurt his wife, but he also abandons his children completely. When he’s confronted about his behavior from his wife or the people in town, he doesn’t hesitate to lie. As it turns out, he’s completely unable to live by the rules he propagates in church.
Irony of John's death
John’s death is caused by one of the things he admires most – a train. He’s fascinated by the machine because of its power and believes deeply that it can speak to him. To John, the train is an expression of what he always tries to come across as – a strong, masculine man. Just as his masculinity destroys his first marriage and his career, the train destroys his life.
Irony of John's origin
Although it is not explicitly stated in the novel who his father is, it is known that John was born on the plantation of the white slave owner Alf Pearson. As John appears on the plantation in order to seek a job, Alf Pearson tells him that he looks familiar, but he cannot remember why. However, his wife does and doesn’t allow for John to become the driver of the judge. This ironical situation is an implicit criticism on the way, the African-American community was treated during Slavery – apparently, the white owners couldn’t even recognize their own children.
Irony of John's flights
One of the episodes in the novel in which John is presented in a most negative way is when he fleas from home because of his daughter’s illness. Some pages later on in the novel, he fleas again, because this time Lucy becomes ill, but his now grown-up daughter Isis is the only one who stays by the bed of her mother. The novel suggests that despite the fact that John possesses physical strength, the really strong characters in the book are actually the female ones.
Irony of Sally's faith
During the memorial service after John’s death, Sally parts with him believing that he has always been faithful to her. Ironically, the last thing he does before his sudden death is sleeping with a much younger woman. Although Sally isn’t aware of that, the reader is informed about John’s dishonest deeds and cannot part with him as peacefully and without question as the characters in the novel do.
