The Irony of “She Fell asleep”
When Maddie asks, “Why’s she down here?” Bill responds, “She fell asleep” (Act 1, Scene 1). Bill’s response is ironic because Jhana is playacting to be in slumberland. Maddie does not commend Jhana’s staying up late, so Jhana pretends to be asleep to mitigate her mother’s exasperation.
The Irony of “We were all Assaulted by Donovan”
Bill asserts, “We were all assaulted by Donovan at three o’clock this morning. I mean he was terrible twenty years ago. What if he’s having a comeback…The volume made my teeth vibrate” (Act 1, Scene 2). Literally, Bill’s assertion implies that Donovan attacked them. However, it would be unbearable for Donovan to assault them considering that he does not reside with them. The ironic assault relates to the Donavan’s ear-splitting music which disturbs their sleep.
