The Irony of Jane's Authority
Jane moves to Raleigh and accepts the position at the Dep. of Public Welfare because she wants to help people who need it most. She doesn't anticipate that she will become a cog in a broken system. By the end of the book, it is Jane's job which stands between her and actually helping people, like Ivy.
The Irony of Gardiner's Generosity
To an unfamiliar eye, Gardiner seems like a benefactor to Ivy and her family. In reality he compensates their rent because he's covering up for the neglectful death of their father, Percy, under his employment. Additionally, he looks down on the Harts. He won't allow his son to have anything to do with Ivy so long as he can help it. His surface-level generosity is actually self-preservation and hypocrisy.
The Irony of Ivy's Sterilization
Because Mary Ella already had to undergo the awful and traumatic experience of forced sterilization, it is ironic that Ivy faces the same situation. After all the girls are not very alike in their situations. At the time, Mary Ella was young, but not too young to deliver a baby. She didn't know the father. And she is mentally challenged. On the other hand, Ivy is knows but refuses to tell the father of her baby. She has no mental illness and cares deeply for her baby. The state determines that she's an unfit parent, however, because of her IQ score and a history of childhood epilepsy. They throw her into the same category as a person unable to live on their own, without a caretaker, but this is not Ivy's situation. She's very capable and responsible.
The Irony of Mary Ella's Beauty
Mary Ella is a pretty girl. She has many admirers, but this beauty doesn't serve her because she lacks intelligence. Because of her mental challenges, she doesn't possess the critical thinking and social skills to navigate complex romance and to discern when a man wants to sleep with her vs. when he truly cares about her. In actuality, her beauty hurts her more than it helps her situation.
The Irony of Henry Allen's Romance
As Gardiner's son, Henry Allen is not allowed to have any sort of relationship with Ivy. According to his dad, she's trouble. Of course this makes him want her all the more, but the irony of their relationship is that they have a healthy one. Ivy keeps the affair a secret once her pregnancy comes out because she refuses to compromise Henry Allen's position with his father. Ironically, though, producing the name would have greatly helped her case with the social workers.
