Situational Irony: The "End" of War
Does the war ever really end for Kien? Not really, because, as he captures in the first scene, even after the war ends, the trauma continues with a vengeance. The fact that the novel begins with the end of the war is ironic, and the effect of the irony is that the novel is about the horror of war in the context of a life of PTSD—not necessarily the war itself.
Situational Irony: Father Du
The brief mention of Father Du, who lived in Hanoi, presents the tragic irony of the war. Du was a family man who presided over a loud and lively family of a large number, but now, due to the war, he is the single member of his left. It is tragically ironic that this man, as opposed to others, would lose his entire family, but this situation is war encapsulated.
Verbal Irony: Teachings
At the stations, the wounded and sick and blinded had to listen to "an endless stream of the most ironic of teachings, urging them to ignore the spirit of reconciliation, to beware of the 'bullets coated with sugar,' to ignore the warmth and passions among the remnants of this fallen, luxurious society of the South" (81). This is amusing and ironic to Kien and the soldiers, who have already endured so much for the North and have no need for this useless and offensive rhetoric.
Dramatic Irony: Kien's Father's Last Words
As Kien's father is dying, he tells his son that "From now on you have to be grown up, fight the battle alone. New times are coming, splendid and magnificent and trouble-free times. No more sadness" (126). This is an example of dramatic irony because, unbeknownst to the characters at the time, the "battle" Kien has to fight is a literal battle: he is going off to war. There will most definitely be troubles and sadness in the future, for the long and terrible war is just beginning, and things will never be the same for Kien or anyone else.
