The Things They Carried

by Tim O’Brien

The Things They Carried: Situational Irony 1 key example

Enemies
Explanation and Analysis—Strunk and Jensen:

The narrator tells the story of the hostility and friendship between Lee Strunk and Dave Jensen across the consecutive stories "Enemies" and "Friends." Both stories contain situational irony, as many of the developments in their relationship run counter to the reader's—and their own—expectations.