Verbal Irony: The "Game"
Marco and Celia are understood to be involved in a kind of "game," and yet that monicker holds a cruel irony: while it is typically understood as constitutive of games that their participants of willingly elected to participate and play by the rules (rules which they know), Marco and Celia are neither willing nor knowledgable about the "game" that defines their lives and relationship.
Situational Irony: A.H.
A.H., or the man in the gray suit, appears at the orphanage to find a suitable competitor. The narrator describes exactly how gray the surroundings are: gray buildings, gray stone, gray pavement, and the headmistress in deep gray tweed. However, "the man in the grey suit looks out of place." With this ironic comment, the narrator allows the reader to see just how mysterious A.H. really is: he stands out in the places where he has most reason to blend in.
Dramatic Irony: Herr Thiessen's clock
In a funny little scene, Herr Thiessen is spending time with a French winemaker who tells Herr Thiessen that the clock at the circus "reminds me of your work" (155). Though this is a minor moment, it is an important one because it facilitates Thiessen's immersion in the circus that he was once only connected to by virtue of a commission.
Situational Irony: The Seeming Dichotomies of the Circus
The circus is done in black and white, but there is little about it that is that easy to categorize—ironically, it is actually all shades of gray. Celia and Marco are not opponents: they fall in love and meld their creations together. Bailey and Herr Thiessen are not just outsiders: they are welcomed into the circus. The organizers of the circus and the participants are indelibly affected by the circus and the competition. Internal and external bleed into each other; reality and dreams overlap.
