Let us remind ourselves of the definition of situational
irony. Situational irony is when there is a sudden, unexpected reversal of what we
expect to happen in a story. The classic example of this is "The Gift of the Magi," when
there is a sudden, shocking ending as Jim and Della that they have both traded the
possessions that were dearest to them to purchase gifts that now cannot be used by the
other.
If we think about this concept in terms of this
novel, I would argue that the ending of the story is an example of situational irony.
Having finally escaped the mechanical hound and found a group of Book People who he can
join, Montag is looking forward to a life of hidden opposition and remembering texts.
Instead, both he and the reader are shocked by the sudden destruction of the city from
which he has just fled:
The bombardment was to all intents and purposes
finished once the jets had sighted their target, alerted their bombardier at five
thousand miles an hour; as quick as the whisper of a scythe the war was finished. Once
the bomb release was yanked, it was
over.
The shock with which
this rapid and sudden destruction of the city occurs is as much of a surprise for Montag
as it is for us. Now the group will not have to operate in secret, and can be part of
the phoenix rising from the ashes that Granger remembers. It is a sudden twist in the
plot that takes us by surprise.
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