Hypocrisy
Death of Jacob’s parents is the most terrible moment of the novel. Many friends visit the burial of Jacob’s parents. “He is pressed against soft bosoms, poked by veiled hats, and engulfed by jasmine, lavender, and rose water. Death is a formal affair, and they're dressed in their Sunday best”. The ironical is the fact that all people are heartless. It is very hard for them to pretend that they feel sorry for Jacob. They have hypocrisy in their blood.
Useless women
During the conversation with Jacob, August says that all women are very capricious and all their efforts are to no purpose. “What can you expect from him? Women. Must be a full moon, or something”. The irony is that August ridicules his wife Marlena and affirms that she is weak, but actually Marlena is more hard-working than August. He even cannot realize his dullness.
Magic abilities
It is the most ironic moment of the novel. Jacob wants to work at the Circus, but August doesn’t want to employ him. Jacob says that he is ready “to carry water for elephants”. But it is an ironic joke. It is impossible to carry water for such animals, because elephants drink a lot of water. Here, Jacob means that he is ready to work tooth and nails.
