The Irony of Young Sundara Trying to Save the Baby
When Sundara is twelve, she is taken along with her uncle's family to America. He's trying to protect his family from the inevitably destructive force of the war. The decision is so difficult and sudden that he doesn't have time to invite or even inform Sundara's parents of their choice. Thus Sundara becomes a war refugee. On the voyage, all of the passengers are subjected to miserable conditions. Aunt Soka's little baby is malnourished and her mother unable to provide milk for her. Sundara tries desperately to save the child, but sadly it dies. The irony of this situation is found in Sundara's extreme youth. Her family is trying to protect her from misfortune by moving, and she simultaneously has the same reaction to her little cousin.
The Irony of Moni's Friendship
Moni is a fellow Cambodian ex-pat. After Sundara tries repeatedly to make friends at school, she really only has two friends: Jonathan and Moni. Despite her best efforts, Jonathan soon leaves her. In the end, Sundara's attempt to assimilate into American culture fails because Moni is her last friend, and she's not even American.
The Irony of Cathy's Jealousy
Cathy is jealous of all the attention Sundara receives from her boyfriend. While she doesn't care about him per se, she is concerned about losing him and the consequent dent in her reputation which that would cause. It's ironic that she, being one of the most popular girls in school, is jealous of Sundara, the misfit. If she thought about her situation a little more rationally, she would realize that Sundara is not a threat but actually just in need of a real friend.
The Irony of Sundara Dating Jonathan
Out of rebellion to her aunt's strict standards, Sundara wants to adapt to her U.S. surroundings. She wants to fit in at school and to embrace being in America. This is why she's attracted to Jonathan. Oddly enough, he is interested in Sundara because she's from Cambodia. The only thing that really fascinates him about her is her foreignness, which is no help to Sundara. In fact it's the exact scenario of which Aunt Soka was afraid.
The Irony of Aunt Soka's Warnings
Aunt Soka orders Sundara to stay away from the white boys in her school. She knows how difficult an age high school is, but she also believes that Sundara will only be humiliated by trying to date a white boy. She correctly assumes that the boys at school do not have Sundara's best interest at heart, so she acts authoritatively and forbids Sundara to date. This infuriates Sundara and inspires her to do exactly the opposite. After her aunt's warnings and some considerable soul-searching, Sundara decides that her aunt is wrong and dates Jonathan without permission. Aunt Soka's best efforts to prevent Sundara's dating are what cause that very thing.
