The irony of abused children
There is an inherent irony in the novel which is that Sheila is abused by her family at home. Although eventually, she opens up with the reader (by telling Torey about her life), there is simply no telling what the true nature of her abuse is. There is clearly psychological, physical, and emotional torture being tone to her, even genital mutilation, and all of this stands in ironic contrast to the original aim of family and of childhood dependency on adults for survival.
The helpful, helpless teacher
Although Torey does everything she can for the small child who is completely in need, there is a limiter on her ability to help. Can she adopt every abused child in her career? Certainly not, but this case is also especially difficult. The irony is poignant, throughout the book, because Torey must struggle to understand where she is able to contribute to Sheila's life, and where her professional responsibilities prevent her from doing what she wishes she could.
The irony of childhood torture
Sheila's abuse is especially ironic, painstakingly so, because her uncle, a sexual deviant and violent, hateful man, projects his sexual hatred onto his niece. When he takes a knife to the young girl's vagina, the reality is painfully at odds with her innocence. She is innocent, truly, because she is not even old enough to understand what his behavior refers to. As a true victim, and as a child, she is truly innocent, making the violation thoroughly abominable.
The ironic threshold
Finally at the end of the book, we see that Sheila is able to fulfill her destiny for the first grade. Is her destiny to be perfectly healed? Is it to fight back against her uncle and win? No, her victory is small but sweet. Given the gravity of her suffering, the boon seems so small, but when she is admitted into the second grade, she dodges a worse fate, and Torey and Sheila have succeeded in their limited, still tragic way.
The irony of human nature
Obviously, another key irony would be the mental disturbance of Sheila's uncle. If what Sheila suggests is any indication of his real behavior, then certainly, any reader would know immediately that the uncle is violent and evil. But, is that the case? Perhaps the greatest irony of the uncle's character is that he represents something real about the world around us. There are people who commit horrific acts of violence against innocent victims, and the reality of that is so ironic, the reader will likely contemplate divine judgment as a result of reading this.
