The Irony of Haiti's Independence
Shorty and other residents expect modern Haiti to be prosperous and peaceful, unlike in the past centuries when the country was under colonial rule. Paradoxically, modern-day Haiti faces similar challenges as in the past, which include poverty, insecurity, and hopelessness. Shorty lives in the slum with his family, where they cannot even afford basic needs. According to Shorty, the fruits of independence are unnoticeable.
French’s defeat in the revolution
In the novel, Shorty narrates how the French were powerful with advanced artillery to resist the revolution fronted by Toussaint and his fellow enslaved people. The paradox is that Toussaint's team used obsolete weapons to defeat a highly organized French Army in Haiti. The French were forced to surrender and hand over the country to the Black people in Haiti to rule themselves.
The irony of Shorty
When Short joins a criminal gang after his father's death, he believes that he will die by the gun. Shorty has witnessed many of his criminal friends die by the bullet, and he convinces himself that he will follow a similar route. Ironically, Shorty dies from a natural disaster. Shorty is trapped in the rubble after the earthquake and waits to die from the cause he never anticipated.
