The father's support
There is an irony present in the artist's relationship to his father. The novelist shows a father who has overcome his initial aversion to having an artist as a son. He now adapts his worldly advise to try and push his son toward professionalism and success. Yet, his intention comes across ironically. Because of the unaddressed depression and shame that define Anthony's experience of life, the advise comes across as an unattainable pressure. He believes that he is unable to impress his father because his father wants him to do something well that he has never done before—creating art. It almost seems as if he is condemned by private turmoil to a confused artistic process.
The salvation by a human
A wise reader will notice that Anthony falling in love does not actually save his life, because although he got the emotional catharsis he needed to move him out from under the authority of his parents, he just moved into the authority of his newly beloved. Therefore, his falling in love is an ironic testament to the human need for independence. Instead of helping him to thrive as he expected, the relationship just brought new emotional burdens and complications. His "salvation" from his family is a doom to a new family where he has higher responsibilities.
Art as an impossible goal
There is a dramatic irony that restricts Anthony from understanding what it is about his own person which would be artistically valuable. This comes from a self-esteem issue which prevents him from openly celebrating his opinions and attitudes, and it also comes from his lack of experience which leaves him in a repressed state of innocence. He does not want to make art because he doesn't know how yet, but he doesn't know how because he won't make art. This is not actually a paradox, but it feels like an impossible conundrum to him in the moment, and we see the consequence in his artistic lethargy.
Alcohol as drama
Another dramatic flavor in the novel is the horror of alcoholism. Although at first the drinking seems fun, it is quickly evident that Anthony is not drinking for social reasons. He is masking deep emotional turmoil that he cannot handle dealing with emotionally, and so he runs away from it mentally by occupying his brain with alcohol which prevents him from the emotional clarity it would take to face his emotional crises, which are Oedipal in flavor. This makes alcohol a tool for dramatic irony, for these reasons and also because Anthony pretends he doesn't know how to fix his life.
The victory
As if to accentuate the minor mode of the climax and resolution, there is a major arpeggio in the plot, so to speak. Major chords are the ones that sound happy; the major quality in the finale is that they win the lawsuit and get the money they need for survival. That is a huge burden lifted—for Gloria. Gloria's concerns are still worldly; she wants money for survival and she wants to be able to hang out with her friends without worrying so much. What does Anthony want? Because of the situational irony and the doom-oriented tone of the plot, the reader sees that Anthony's alcoholism is actually an Oedipal desire for death, to be reunited to a time when he had no responsibilities. He is suicidal.
