"'That's a nice accusation, that I was drinking. Not one drop of drink crossed my lips the whole day. How could it when he drank it all? I'm the one that ought to be pitied, with my day ruined on me, and I after being made a show for the whole road.'"
The most prominent instance of irony was the boy's inebriated state, making his sober father take him home. Usually the father drinks too much at a funeral, and the boy expected Mr. Dooley's funeral to be no different. However, instead of the father staggering home drunk, his young son was the one that consumed too much alcohol. Another ironic situation was the blame placed on the father. Everyone assumed that he let the boy drink, but in reality the boy drank without his father knowing. In addition to the many ironic situations, humor is present in the story. The boy's behavior towards the women, yelling and swearing at them, is the funniest part of the story. Although humor lightens the mood, there is an undertone of pathos. This arises from the family's struggles: coping with the father's drinking problem and financial strain. The boy's ridiculous behavior then acts as a deterrent, discouraging his father from drinking. His father probably did not know how he behaved when he was drunk, but he witnessed possible behaviors in his son. This spectacle shamed him, and he didn't want to put himself in that position now that he knew of the drunk's behavior.
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