Nick, George, and Sam have a whole debate about whether or not to tell Old Andreson that two hitmen are after him, only to learn that he has been aware of this fact the whole time—an example of situational irony. The irony comes across in the following passage when Nick finds Old Andreson at a boarding house and shares what he believes to be the big reveal:
“I was up at Henry’s,” Nick said, “and two fellows came in and tied up me and the cook, and they said they were going to kill you.”
It sounded silly when he said it. Ole Andreson said nothing.
“They put us out in the kitchen,” Nick went on. “They were going to shoot you when you came in to supper.”
Ole Andreson looked at the wall and did not say anything.
“George thought I better come and tell you about it.”
“There isn’t anything I can do about it,” Ole Andreson said.
This passage captures how seriously Nick takes his duty to warn Ole Andreson about the man’s potential killers and how confused he is when Ole Andreson doesn’t react with surprise or worry. Nick continues to share details in the hopes of provoking a response until Ole Andreson says, “There isn’t anything I can do about it,” indirectly revealing the ironic twist that he has known of the hit on him this whole time. While Nick wants to be a hero in this moment, because Ole Andreson is already aware of his fate, Nick is instead simply someone who “sound[s] silly.”
This moment is also notable as it is here that Nick starts to lose his innocence, coming to realize that some people are willing to face death without fear. While Ole Andreson is, in some ways, avoiding his death in the short term by hiding at the boarding house, it is clear that he is no longer going to try to run from his fate.
