The irony of the wedding
Instead of ending with a wedding, like comedies do, this novel starts with a wedding and works backwards until everyone is single and miserable. This means that the wedding is ironic, firstly because the vows are broken by the end of the book, and also because the story is about separation and tragedy, not union.
The irony of Charles's explosive anger
For one thing, it seems that whatever Charles is upset about, it's a lot more serious than just whose falcon is better than whose. Charles is deeply angry in his relationship to Francis. This is partially because he hates Francis and wants to beat him in competition. But what if the real reason he 'hates' Francis so much is because he loves him? That would mean that Charles's outburst of anger was really a demonstration of passionate love or attraction, which would be extremely ironic. In any case, violence at a wedding feast is ironic.
The gift of a wife
A wife is a person who cannot be given as property, by the definition of the word wife. But that doesn't stop Charles. Charles realizes that Francis is in love with Susan which is why he has started treating them well, and Charles rewards that kindness with Susan herself. Marriage is supposed to be a lifelong commitment, but in this novel, that seems to not be the case.
The irony of Anne's indiscretions
Surely Anne's decision to murder herself by starvation was an overreaction, but that doesn't mean that it's not poetically meaningful. The irony of Anne's character is on full display; without a sense of centered balance in life, Anne is easily swayed by persuasive people. She ends up in bed with a smooth-talker, doing what her body wants. That's why when she is mentally disturbed, she decides to conquer her body once and for all by rejecting her body's pains for food.
The irony of society
Society exists as a good thing, right? We have economy and technology, community, love, law, and many more fundamental parts of life, only through society, by living with other people. But this novel shows the darker side of that equation, showing that living in community with people is extremely difficult. The characters expose each other's character flaws, and sometimes they exploit each other, and they all seem to be locked into competition, but no one wins in the end.
