The Irony of the retired old army man
The older man lives a poor life, and he often walks around on foot wearing shabby clothes. Ironically, despite living in a clay-walled cottage, he has a luxurious and rich collection of pistols. The author writes, “His rich collection of pistols was the sole luxury in that miserable clay-walled cottage, where he lived.”
The Irony of Silvio
Silvio is the most dangerous man in uniform who is feared by everyone. The encounter between the lieutenant (New Comrade) and Silvio leaves others in shock. The moment the lieutenant attacks Silvio, everyone considered him dead. Ironically, the lieutenant lives despite being considered a dead man by his colleagues. The narrator recalls, “Next day, at riding-school, we were already asking each other if the poor lieutenant was still alive when he suddenly appeared.”
The Irony of Silvio’s confession
Silvio confesses that a fellow officer slapped him at one time, but he forgave him. According to Silvio, he had all the weapons at his disposal, but he decided not to kill the officer who offended him. Silvio says, “You will agree that, as I had the choices of weapons, his life was in my hands, while my own was in virtually no danger whatsoever.”
The Irony of Age
The reader finds it satirical that at the age of just thirty-five, someone is considered too old. The narrator says, “Only one of our company was not in the army. He was about thirty-five and therefore considered an old man.” The reader expects a thirty-five-year-old man to be considered a youth but not an older man.
The Irony of Silvio’s departure
The job demands Silvio to relocate to a different workstation, and he decides to hold a departure party in which he invites all the comrades. However, he insists that the narrator must attend without fail. Satirically, the narrator does not stop thinking about what will happen to him in the event he fails to attend. The narrator recalls Silvio telling comrades, “Gentlemen, circumstances demand my immediate departure. I am leaving tonight. I hope that you will not refuse to dine with me for the last time. I will expect you too, he added, turning to the narrator. I shall expect you without fail.”
