Joana’s and Florian’s romance (Dramatic Irony)
The romance between Joana and Florian develops gradually throughout the novel, until they finally kiss aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff. The romance is an instance of dramatic irony, since the reader catches on to the romance between Joana and Florian well before they do. In the first half of the novel, Florian and Joana each want to know more about the other. But each brushes these thoughts off as a mere distraction. At the cathedral in Gotenhafen, each tries to find the other and wonders if the other is looking for them. Yet they are still not willing to admit their attraction. However, in a moment of dramatic irony, the reader is well aware of the developing romance.
The Gustloff as a KdF ship (Verbal Irony)
The MV Wilhelm Gustloff is a Kraft durch Freude (KdF) ship, which in German means “Strength Through Joy.” KdF was a national German organization intended to make leisure activities accessible to the masses. Hitler said that the KdF brought opportunity for everyone and that all were equal. Yet Emilia wonders how all could be equal if the Nazi regime views some people as inferior and persecutes them. In this way, she points out the (unintentional) verbal irony of this claim.
The birth of Halinka (Situational Irony)
Emilia feels that she is doomed and she feels certain that she will die in childbirth, just like her mother. Moreover, the novel continuously foreshadows that Emilia will likely not survive the birth of her baby. There is great tension in the moments leading up to and during the birth of the baby. However, in the end, everything goes smoothly, and a perfect baby girl is born. This represents a moment of situational irony, since the reader and Emilia herself expected that she would die in childbirth.
Hannelore is half-Jewish (Situational irony)
Throughout the novel, Alfred has espoused Nazi Germany’s hateful, racist, and anti-Semitic ideas. He feels that he is superior to others who are not members of the Aryan “master race.” But toward the end of the novel, the reader discovers that Alfred’s love interest, Hannelore, is herself half-Jewish. That Alfred is secretly infatuated with what he outwardly claims to hate is a strong example of situational irony in the novel. In the end, Alfred’s ironic infatuation reveals the weakness and fear that is the root of his hatred.
