Achebe and Devi both used irony to highlight a problem at the end of their respective stories. In “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, the author uses irony to show the district commissioner's contempt for the indigenous people and their customs and to highlight the internal struggle of the main character, Okonkwo, as he tries to maintain his image of virility with his actions. Mahasweti Devi closed the story "The Breast Donor" with ironic circumstances to explain the gratitude that should have been owed to Jashoda that she did not receive and the cause of her death for what she had given so much to so many people. The district commissioner's ironic contempt for the natives and their customs can be seen on the last page of the story. The statement, “The steadfast administrator in him gave way to the student of primitive customs” (Achebe 1190) is an example of how little the British man thought of the customs of the Umuofians. He had not taken the time to learn the customs of the people he was tasked with colonizing before the incident occurred. The English were trying to colonize the country and the Commissioner thought that helping the natives “would give the natives a bad opinion of him” (Achebe 1190). He does not realize that most of the people of the tribe did not want to be colonized and their opinion of the district commissioner was already poor. It is ironic that helping the tribesman cut down Okonkwo's body may have endeared him to the people and made colonization easier. Another example of irony used by Achebe is Okonkwo's suicide. Throughout the entire story, Okonkwo tries to display manly attributes. The story opens with her feelings about how her father was weak and never wanted to be…the center of the paper…in the end he tricks her,” (Devi 1084). Breast had provided financially for her family and raised her status as a woman in society. Ultimately, the source of everything she had in life led to her death. Both authors use irony in the two stories due for all she did for others. Also ironic that the breasts that had given her so much in life hid the cause of her death. The irony used by Achebe was the weak part of a man who lived to be seen as strong and the lack of interaction between colonizers and tribe members that could have made colonization easier. These uses of irony brought both stories to an effective conclusion. Simon, Peter, ed Literature, Second Shorter Edition, Volume 2. WW Norton & Company, 2009. Print