Question

Which excerpt from “Soldier's Home” is the best example of irony?
Krebs went to the war from a Methodist college in Kansas. There is a picture which shows him among his fraternity brothers, all of them wearing exactly the same height and style collar.
His lies were quite unimportant lies and consisted in attributing to himself things other men had seen, done or heard of, and stating as facts certain apocryphal incidents familiar to all soldiers.
Nothing was changed in the town except that the young girls had grown up. They all wore sweaters and shirt waists with round Dutch collars. It was a pattern.
There had been a great deal of hysteria. Now the reaction had set in. People seemed to think it was rather ridiculous for Krebs to be getting back so late, years after the war was over.

Answer 1

The best example of irony is the fourth excerpt:

"There had been a great deal of hysteria. Now the reaction had set in. People seemed to think it was rather ridiculous for Krebs to be getting back so late, years after the war was over."

Why: This is situational irony — one would expect a returning soldier to be greeted with respect or sympathy, but instead Krebs is treated with indifference and even ridicule. The contrast between the seriousness of his experience and the trivial, dismissive attitude of the townspeople creates the ironic effect.