Irony

An important example of irony that author Paula Fox uses is to have the character act out or say something that is out of character when in reality the character is actually for the complete opposite of what he is claiming. For example, when Jessie first comes aboard The Moonlight, Benjamin Stout is the only crew member who shows kindness towards and "looks out" for Jessie. Yet, Jessie did not like Benjamin Stout and always felt an uneasy presence whenever he was around even though he acted kind on the surface. Instead, Jessie finds trust in Clay Purvis who is a rowdy, coarse, and rough man, but he feels a sort of kinship and safety when Purvis is around. The passage below illustrates the ironic twist of the role of trust in the setting and also Jessie's uncertainty. This passage is on pg 37.

"...That thought led me to wonder why I didn't like Benjamin Stout. I suprised myself...And Stout treated me kindly, showing me things the rest of the crew wouldn't have troubled themselves with, getting me extra helpings of rice and beef while Curry had his back turned, steaming away his brains over his cook stove.
But it was Purvis whom I was eager to see when I awoke in the morning, Purvis, with his horrible coarse jokes, his bawling and cursing, Purvis, whom I trusted."

Another important example of irony would be in this passage on page 82.

"Take you," he said. "How are your spirits?"
"...I feel this way and that way,'"I said, "but never the way I once did when I lived at home in New Orleans."
"I want a plain answer."
"I hate this ship!"I said with all the force I could, with what little courage I had in the face of Stout's menace.
...A second later, I saw his teeth gleam. "That must mean you hate me too."
"I didn't say so,"I said.
"Hatred poisons the soul,"he observed. "It is an incurable ailment."

This passage is highly ironic because it shows Jessie and Stout squaring off against each other, and then Stout stating that "Hatred poisons the soul. It is an incurable ailment." This is a very ironic statement because the whole ship reeks of hatred and prejudice towards the slaves, and Stout is one of the main epitomes of hatred and cruelty.