Rain at the wrong time
“The Village Priest” features a rivalry between the Christian preacher Joshua and a rainmaker. When the rainmaker sacrifices a ram, Joshua “had prayed, asking God not to send rain on that particular day. Please God, my God, do not bring rain today. Please God, my God, let me defeat the rain-maker and your name shall be glorified.” Ironically, “it had rained” on that day, which the villagers may see as a sign that the Christian God may be weaker than their own.
The Martyr
Njoroge tries to warn Mrs Hill and save her from a group of men who try to kill her. Ironically, when he knocks on her door, Mrs Hill shoots him dead because earlier that day she discussed the murder of a European couple who was murdered by Africans.
The return of Kamau
When Kamau returns to his village after spending five years in a detention camp, he expects the people of his village to be happy that he is unharmed. He also looks forward to being reunited with his wife Muthoni and starting a family with her. However, the villagers and even his own parents do not speak much and do not seem to be happy at all about his return because it turns out that his rival Karanja has taken Muthoni away after claiming that Kamau has been killed in the camp.
Exhausted but happy
In “A Meeting in the Dark,” John observes a woman who is happy after a long day of work. He finds this behavior ironic: “What made such a woman live on day to day, working hard, yet happy?”
John's madness
At the end of “A Meeting in the Dark,” John thinks that he is endearing and kind to his pregnant girlfriend. However, in his episode of madness, he does not realize that instead of hugging her, he is actually strangling her, which eventually kills her.
