Boasting (dramatic irony)
When Stephen talks about Keith’s father, he mentions how Mr. Hayward fought in the Great War and how he was awarded a medal for killing five German soldiers. Regarding the time Mr. Hayward spent in the war, he used to say he was a member of the Secret Service and that when he killed the five soldiers, he did it using only his bayonet. The narrator reveals that all this was actually a lie and that Mr. Hayward was actually a soldier in the Home Guard and that the German soldiers were shot with a gun to which a bayonet was attached. All this elements are presented as being ironic especially considering how much Mr. Hayward liked to boast about his apparent achievements.
Better than Mr. Hayward (situational irony)
When Stephen describes Keith’s parents and family, he lets it be understood that they are almost perfect and that there is nothing they can’t do. When Stephen talks about his own parents, he describes them in dull terms and looks down on them for being boring in comparison with Keith’s parents. However, towards the end of the description, he offers an important detail about Keith’s parents, especially about Mr. Hayward and Stephen talks about how Mr. Hayward would often cane Keith. In comparison with Mr. Hayward, Stephen’s father never hit him and behaved in a loving and caring way. Despite this, Stephen continues to insist that Mr. Hayward is more interesting and superior to his father.
My mother is a spy (situational irony)
At the end of the second chapter, Keith tells Stephen that he suspects his mother to be a spy. This comes as an ironic idea especially when taking into consideration how Keith’s family was not Jew and how he could have suspected anyone else but yet he chooses to suspect his own mother.
Misspelling (situational irony)
Another element commonly found in the novel is the idea that Keith misspells words very often. Stephen is aware of his tendency to misspell words but decides to say nothing about it. The situation is ironical because Keith went to a private school while Stephen attended a public school. As a result, Stephen saw himself as being inferior for the simple fact that his parents could not afford to send him to a private school. However, as it is proven, the private school did not make Keith more intelligent or superior in comparison with Stephen.
My father is a spy (situational irony)
In the beginning of the novel, the two boys are concerned with Keith’s mother’s true identity and they do everything they can to prove that she is a spy. For a long time, the two boys follow Keith’s mother and spy on her almost every day. During one of their stake-outs, Stephen suggests that maybe his father is a spy too. While this may seem far-fetched, it is proven in the end that Stephen was right and that his father was indeed a spy. This is ironic considering how the boys followed Keith’s mother for a long time while ignoring the man who was actually a spy.
