Saboteur Ha Jin Analysis

Entire stories can be told using the ironic point of view. It is often used as a means of presenting the theme of a story. Authors Ha Jin, and Chinua Achebe used the irony of situation. Irony of situation meaning discrepancy between the expected results and the actual results of the story. In "Saboteur" by Ha Jin newly weds Mr. Chiu and Mrs. Chiu on the day that they were to leave for home were dining in the square by the Muji Train Station. Nearby at a table sat two policemen who were conversing and at times taking glances at the newly wed couple. As Mr. Chiu and his wife were talking one of the policemen stood up and threw a bowl of tea in their direction. As Mr. Chiu rose to confront them, he questioned them, they denied what was
Obi accepted this new responsibility enthusiastically, and had many visions and wonderful ideas that he could not wait to put into practice. What set him apart was that he had somewhat more education than other headmasters in the field, and he was more modern and open-minded. Obi's wife had hopes and ideas as well. She wished to create a beautiful garden around the school. Both he and his wife put their all into the "backward" school. Obi worked on setting the high standards for the school, and his wife worked on her dream-garden with the beautiful hibiscus and the brilliant allamanda flowers. As they say "All good things must come to an end," Obi's end became near one day as he met with the village priest of Ani. There was a path by the school that Michael Obi did not want the villagers to be passing through for he thought that the villagers may use the school room for "pagan ritual during the inspection." The priest decided to speak with Obi on the matter of the path. He explained its importance to the village saying, "This path was here before you were born, and before your father was born. The whole life of the village depends on it. Our dead relatives part by it and our ancestors visit us by it. But most important, it is the path of children coming in to be born…" Obi's response to the old man's statement was, "The whole purpose of our school such beliefs as that. Dead men do not require footpaths. The whole idea is just fantastic. Our duty is to teach your children to laugh at such ideas." With that Michael Obi dismissed what the old man had said and he did not unblock the path by the school. The next morning he woke up in the ruins of his work. A school building was pulled down, and the beautiful