Irony of Space Travel
“'It is good to renew one's wonder,' said the philosopher. 'Space travel has again made children of us all.'” (Epitaph)
Bradbury begins The Martian Chronicles with a curious and wonderful irony: even though man has scientifically progressed so far that he is able to travel in the vastness of space, this has allowed him to become a child again, regaining his lost sense of childish wonder. The advancement of science has allowed man to again become lost in the miracles of life.
Irony of Usher II
In "Usher II," William Stendhal enacts cruel vengeance on his enemies, who have burned and censored tales of horror such as those of Edgar Allen Poe, on whose stories his methods of revenge are based. He enacts a vicious and cruel irony, murdering these men with the very methods they deemed unfit for reading, and therefore have never read themselves. Their very illiteracy was their undoing: if they had read the stories, they could have figured out Stendhal's plan and escaped.
Irony of the Third Expedition
When the Third Expedition lands on Mars, they attempt to tell the Martians that they have come from Earth, expecting some sort of laudatory celebration. Those listening to them, however, appear completely unfazed by the news, acting dismissively. This situation is ironic because the men have landed in the only place on Mars in which they wouldn't be believed: the mental asylum.
Irony of Chickenpox
Chickenpox is a common and easily curable disease on Earth, something most children are vaccinated with. On Mars, however, the Martians have no antibodies to combat chickenpox, and the entire Martian population is wiped out by exposure to the disease. It is ironic how easily the humans killed the Martians - it was unintentional and merely a side effect of their presence. The ordinariness of the disease is also ironic, considering its massive effect on the Martians.
Irony of the Locusts
The settlers from Earth appear to be actively building and adding to the Martian environment in a positive manner, but Bradbury's appellation ("locusts") brings an irony to their activities: in building, they are actually consuming and destroying the native structures and landscape of Mars.
