Gold
Frank's surname is "Gold," which is described as being "cruelly ironic." This is because gold is a valuable substance, while Frank's surname is more of a hindrance to him.
Irony of love
In the novel, Frank and Elsa are enduring the more difficult time of their lives, as they are both suffering from polio. However, they ironically find happiness through meeting each other, which wouldn't have happened if they weren't in the hospital together.
The Golden Age
London chose to call the fictional setting of her novel "The Golden Age." This is ironic, as the novel is set during a polio outbreak, and the children at the hospital are denied their own "golden age" of childhood.
The isolation ward
The Golden Age hospital is depicted as being an optimistic and friendly place. However, the isolation ward, where the children must stay, is ironically a place of loneliness and pain.
The maturity of the children
Ironically, the children in the novel sometimes seem more mature than the adults. This is accredited to their traumatic experiences as a result of their illnesses, which have forced them to grow up quicker than they should have done.
