The author uses sarcasm and irony to present his point of view about war. He portrays sarcasm through George and George’s mother Mrs. Gearson and expresses irony through the story’s narration. George’s sarcasm is evident when he speaks of "a pocket providence that blesses butchery." Howells also conveys ironic statements through his characters; for example, when George says "to have a country that can’t be wrong, but if it is, is right anyway!," we know that the author is mocking the idea of patriotism which ennobles all misdeeds in its name. The reader also encounters sarcasm in Mrs.Gearson's dialogue when she says, "I suppose you would have been glad to die, such a brave person as you! When you sent him you didn't expect he would get killed." and "You just expected him to kill some one else, some of those foreigners, that weren't there because they had any say about it, but because they had to be there, poor wretches—conscripts, or whatever they call 'em. You thought it would be all right for my George, your George, to kill the sons of those miserable mothers and the husbands of those girls that you would never see the faces of." The author’s tone also portrays a subtle irony when the artist painting Editha calls Mrs. Gearson vulgar.
