The Walking Dead (Situational Irony)
We see throughout the novel how Archibald Craven has become so accustomed to feeling dead inside—through the suppression of his pain and grief—that he is actually shocked when he finally feels, for a moment, that he is alive. What is most natural to human beings has been dulled within Mr. Craven and has become almost impossible to revive. It takes a mysterious miracle for the man to transform into a fully vibrant person again.
The Robin's Point of View (Dramatic Irony)
In the first pages of Chapter 25, the story is told from the perspective of the robin and his family. This humorous moment shows how the robins see the children. With their new eggs, they are on the defense, and they somewhat fear Mary and Colin while seeing Dickon as “a robin without beak or feathers.” This analysis by the robins takes place without any notice from the children, who are unaware that the robins have even laid new eggs.
Mary's Ability to Calm Colin (Situational Irony)
When Colin falls into a major temper tantrum, Mary is the only person in the entire manor who can manage to calm him. This is ironic because amidst a whole staff of adults, including trained nurses, none of them are able to appropriately communicate with Colin. Mary is successful because she not only has compassion, but also a willingness to be bluntly honest with Colin—something that the servants never dared to do.
Mary's Lack of Grief (Situational Irony)
Right after Mary finds out that her lifelong servant, Ayah, has died in the cholera outbreak, her reaction is the opposite one might expect from a little girl. Instead of crying or becoming upset, Mary accepts the news without emotion and instantly wonders who her next nurse will be and if she will have any new stories to tell her. In the midst of the chaos of a growing epidemic, Mary can still only think of herself.
