Dramatic Irony: Religion
One of the pervasive ironies of the book, especially as depicted in the section at the end regarding Moses, is that while the West prefers to see itself as the apogee of civilization, Christianity as the one true faith, and whiteness as the indicator of superiority, most of its foundations are actually interwoven with non-Western/Black/polytheistic traditions. In particular, Moses was first an Osirian initiate and a purveyor of lies, manipulation, cruelty, and violence.
Verbal Irony: PaPa's Dog
Reed's tone is delightfully ironic when he explains why PaPa was confused that he was cited for letting his dog shit on the cathedral altar: "[PaPa] couldn't comprehend the charge. He was merely fulfilling an old civic axiom: that of keeping the city streets clean" (46). PaPa is indeed keeping the city streets clean, but he is doing so by bringing an animal into a sacred place and letting it desecrate the altar. For PaPa, though, the Catholic church is not sacred, and thus he does not feel like he is doing anything wrong. In this example of irony, Reed lets his readers wonder about why some space is considered sacred and some not, and who is responsible for the designation.
Dramatic and Situational Irony: Biff's Drinking
When the rookie cop shows up at Charlotte's, Biff is brazenly drinking bootleg liquor but tells the cop he came here to bust Charlotte for possession. First of all, there is dramatic irony in that we know what the cop does not know—Biff has killed Charlotte—and second, Biiff is doing something illegal as he ironically points out Charlotte's illegal action. This moment emphasizes the corruption of the police, the Atonists, and white people in general.
Situational Irony: The Reverend
The Reverend, ironically physically imposing given the propensity of religious leaders to be meek and docile, and his men show up to bring Woodrow Wilson Jefferson back home, and they use force to do so. This is ironic because men of the cloth are not supposed to use violence, but the Reverend is already ready with a justification when one of his men asks, citing an example in the New Testament where Christ throws out the moneylenders from the temple.
