In the book Girls at War and Other Stories, Chinua Achebe writes several stories in which he describes different examples of Nigerian customs, experiences and beliefs. It draws a contrast between traditional Nigerian customs and the vision of modern Nigerian society. War is also another theme that Achebe presents in the story "Girls at War". Without a doubt the use of irony is widespread in all his stories. The audience can clearly see the use of this theme in the actions and experiences of each of the characters. Putting emphasis on the good things that happen to those who don't deserve them and vice versa. The book begins with the story "The Madman", as the name says well, is about a mentally disabled man who steals the main character's clothes. Nwibe was considered a common man with a good reputation whose greatest desire was to join the “community of men of title in his town” (p. 12). One of the major ironies depicted in the story was when Nwibe lost his sanity and started chasing the mandmen when he realized that his clothes had been taken away. In this case, Nwibe, considered a person of "high status", was seen as a crazy individual by the Nigerian people. While the individual who was actually the “madman” was seen as a normal being who used clothes to cover himself. Furthermore, it is clear that the author wanted to place an accent of irony when Nwibe remained naked while the madman managed to find a pair of trousers through the main character. This can be interpreted as the madman having acquired what was important to him at that time while Nwibe had lost everything that was important to him. The irony of how a moment of desperation and frustration leads to the destruction of a man and by...... means of paper ......as in the life of Nwibe. In addition to this collection of short stories, “Marriage as a Private Affair” evidently provides many examples of irony. One of the most obvious examples is the title. As mentioned before, marriage is a compromise between two individuals, while a relationship should mean bringing a third individual into the relationship. This is where the irony occurs because the story does not fit into that context. Also adding to this theme, “Girls at War” is a tragic and interesting story whose main focus is based on many examples related to irony. In my opinion, one of the most obvious examples is when the two main characters take a long time to develop a bond, and only a second to end up with a tragic ending like death. Work cited Achebe, Chinua. Girls at War and Other Stories. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1973. Print.