“We’d have to walk on water”
Matilda recounts, “We stopped going to school after our teachers had left on the last boat for Rabaul. The last boat. That sentence made our faces droop. We’d have to walk on water to get off the Island now.” “Walking on water” is farfetched for mortals; it is only Jesus who did it. The covert allusion of Jesus’s capability to “walk on water” accentuates the trouble of evading the island for it is manifestly unmanageable in view of the absence of a boat that would expedite the escape.
The Irony of Mr. Watts’ reaction to “Pop Eye”
Mr. Watts tells the children, "I know some of you call me Pop Eye. That's okay too. I like Pop Eye." The nickname mocks Mr. Watts Eyes; hence, it is not complimentary. Mr. Watts' responsiveness to the nickname implies that he is not mortified by his eyes, and he does not hate the children for using it. Mr. Watts' would have been irritated, but he selects the high road by acknowledging the nickname. Evidently, Mr. Watts is a noble individual who does not begrudge blameless children.
The Irony of "Pop Eye didn't leave"
Matilda explains, "Everyone was surprised that Pop Eye didn't leave when he had the chance. Even though Mrs. Watts was a local he could have taken her. The other whites did. They took their wives and girlfriends." Pop Eye's resolution to remain in the Island despite the manifest insecurity is ironic. Unlike other whites, he regards the island as his home; thus, selects to stay put. Pop Eye demonstrates that he is a local regardless of his white skin. His action rises above the notion of 'white privilege' which would have seen him exploit his race to get resources that would have facilitated his relocation from the island.
