Keep in mind that situational irony
means what happens is not what is expected to happen. The most obvious example in
chapters 1-3 are on Scout's first day of school. It is expected that the adult (and the
teacher) would have things in the classroom under control. It is also expected that the
children in the room would look to her with a general sense of respect for her
position. Instead, the children pity her. They know instantly that she is out of
place, therefore, they cannot respect her authority. But because they are children,
most of them have no idea how to remedy the situation. It is situational irony that
Scout, likely the most precocious child in the room, must correct and "educate" her
teacher on the social ways of Maycomb.
Certainly, Miss
Caroline herself believes this "lesson" from young Scout to be inappropriate, and
punishes her with several "quick little pats" on the hand with a ruler and a time out in
the corner. It is again situationally ironic that just before this Scout expects to be
sealing a deal with spit and it takes her a moment to realize she is even in trouble for
what she has done. The irony continues when she speaks to Atticus about her confusion
of the situation. Scout, though young, is an old soul. She does what she believes is
right and acts out of a sense of social intelligence that she is far to young to be
given credit for.
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