The Old Man/Bunky (Situational Irony)
Eldon reveals at the end of the novel that “Bunky” in his stories is indeed the old man that raised Frank. This is an example of situational irony because it contrasts with readers’ expectations of who Bunky first appears to be in Eldon’s story. Eldon describes Bunky as a slightly older man who sees good in Eldon, and who wants to give him a chance. Bunky gives Eldon a job, meals, and provides a home for Eldon despite knowing he is a drunk. Bunky believes in Eldon, which is a stark contrast to the old man’s view of Eldon. The old man is very bitter towards Eldon, mostly for his being absent in Frank’s life. When readers discover that the old man is also the same man that Eldon stole Angie from, it makes sense that the old man would feel bitter towards Eldon for this, too. Bunky being the old man is a classic “plot twist,” and a good example of situational irony.
Frank's 10th Birthday (Dramatic Irony)
When Eldon is drinking from a thermos on Frank’s 10th birthday, the audience assumes that Eldon is drinking alcohol, despite Frank not yet knowing. At this point in the text, the reader expects Eldon to be drunk. The reader knows Eldon in the present, and knows not to trust the promises Eldon makes to Frank. Eldon’s promise that he will be sober for Frank’s 10th birthday reads as an empty promise, because the Eldon in the present is dying from liver failure due to alcoholism. Eldon secretively drinks from his thermos on Frank’s birthday, and it is only when Eldon becomes drunk and falls over that Frank realizes his father has been drinking. This is an example of dramatic irony because the audience presumes Eldon drunk before Frank figures it out, meaning that the audience is privy to information in the novel before one of the characters (Frank) is. The effect of this irony is to heighten the reader's compassion for Frank, as we are already anticipating how let down he will be when he realizes that Eldon is drunk.
Frank's Sarcasm (Verbal Irony)
In Chapter 3, Eldon offers to take Frank out to eat in order to tell Frank how Eldon plans to die. It is only upon arriving at the bar Charlie's in Chapter 4 that Frank discovers his father cannot pay, because Eldon is indebted to the bar. Frank pays for Eldon and then says "Your treat, huh?" This is an example of sarcastic verbal irony because Frank means the exact opposite of what he says. It is not Eldon treating Frank, but the opposite: Frank settling his father's drinking debt and taking him out to eat.
The Old Man as Teacher (Situational Irony)
The old man is white, but is the person to teach Frank about being Indigenous. This is an example of situational irony because the expectation is that Frank's Indigenous father, Eldon, would be the one to teach Frank about being Indigenous. The old man teaches Frank to honor the land, to pray and give thanks when he kills an animal, and to put down tobacco as prayer. Eldon, comparatively, does not know much about being Indigenous because he and his parents were forced to give up their ways in order to survive. The old man being the teacher of Indigenous epistemology qualifies as situational irony because his being teacher contrasts with audience expectations. The old man is white, but teaches Frank about being Native rather than Eldon.
Eldon Killing Jimmy (Situational Irony)
When Eldon first says he killed a man, the audience does not expect the man Eldon killed to be Jimmy. Jimmy is Eldon's best friend, and the only person he can rely on after becoming estranged from his mother. Eldon killing Jimmy is an example of situational irony because the audience expects Eldon to have violently killed a man in anger, not for him to have been forced to kill his best friend in battle. Eldon has a troubled past with alcohol, and so audience expectations are that his killing a man would in some way be related to his drinking. This, too, compounds the situational irony. Eldon's drinking is related to his killing a man, but in an unexpected way: Eldon's killing a man, specifically his best friend, causes his drinking later on.
