Armpit's Prejudice at Smokestack Lightnin' (Situational Irony)
Armpit is subject to prejudice throughout Small Steps based on his appearance. Armpit is a black male with a large build and people assume he is violent because of his appearance. The reader knows that Armpit isn't violent because we see things from his point of view, but other people assume differently. We see how the prejudice of others, especially of white people, negatively impacts Armpit. An example of how prejudice affects Armpit is when Armpit is subject to unnecessarily brute force while being arrested at the Kaira DeLeon concert in Austin. Not only is Armpit falsely assumed to be violent, he is also assumed to have drugged Ginny. Because of how much Armpit experiences prejudice, and how he doesn't act prejudicially towards Ginny, his young white friend with cerebral palsy, we don't expect Armpit to act prejudicially towards others.
When Armpit accompanies X-Ray to West Austin to meet with a buyer, he meets Murdock, an older black man with an apron splattered with grease and barbecue sauce. Armpit predicts foul play when Murdock asks to see the tickets. As Murdock is speaking to his friend and playing Kaira DeLeon, Armpit is calculating if he'd be able to fight both Murdock and his friend. Once Murdock gives Armpit and X-Ray their money and a meal on the house, Armpit feels bad for not trusting Murdock (p. 77-78).
In this scene, Sachar uses situational irony to add nuance to the theme of prejudice within Small Steps. We don't expect Armpit to act so suspiciously towards Murdock, and we the reader share Armpit's feeling of suspecting foul play from only the description of the restaurant and Murdock. Through this use of situational irony, we learn how easy it is to act prejudicially towards others, and how the assumptions we make can affect how we interpret a situation.
Their Story Isn't Over Yet!
The day after the Kaira DeLeon concert, Ginny and Armpit are on one of their regular walks. Armpit learns that Ginny gave Kaira a hint about his nickname—that it’s a part of the body. Armpit is mortified, and responds with “it’s not like I’ll ever see her again.“ This is an example of dramatic irony: Armpit thinks his story with Kaira is over while we the audience know that it has only just begun, because of Sachar's use of music to foreshadow the effect they'll have on each other's lives. Ginny echoes the reader's sentiment when she responds, “Yes, you will." (p. 134)
No Wonder You Got Scalped, Theodore. Now Let's Find Armpit. (Dramatic Irony)
After Detective Newberg's interrogation of X-Ray, she debriefs with Armpit. She knows that someone named Armpit is involved in the scalping scheme, but doesn't know that it is Theodore who is nicknamed Armpit. When Armpit says that he believes what X-Ray said, Detective Newberg responds, “Now I understand how Armpit managed to sell you those phony tickets. You are way too gullible.” She then reasons that he's honest, and that they will be able to smell someone named Armpit from a mile away (p. 185). This exchange is an example of dramatic irony in Small Steps—Detective Newberg thinks she's speaking to someone who has nothing to do with the scalping scheme. However, we know that Detective Newberg is speaking to Armpit and that he's corroborating any story that prevents her from learning the truth.
Get Rid of Kaira Before She Gets Rid of Me (Dramatic Irony)
El Genius has been embezzling millions of dollars from Kaira's trust fund and is planning to kill Kaira to avoid the repercussions. El Genius reasons that if she fires him when she turns 18 like she's been saying she will, whoever she hires will notice the embezzlement immediately. His plan to kill her has the sole motivation of avoiding getting fired and keeping his stepdaughter's money. After we learn this, Sachar uses narrative structure to develop dramatic irony. He does this by following El Genius's reasoning and planning with Kaira's point-of-view. Directly after we see him planning, we learn that Kaira has no intention of firing El Genius, because she feels that she needs him. The dramatic irony is further developed by El Genius assuming Aileen's loyalty, while the reader knows that she is planning to leave him and take all the money. His trust is in the wrong place, and his motives stand on faulty ground, but he doesn't know that; only the reader knows.
