Makina’s decision to stay in the United States
Makina first sneaks into the United States of America for a mission to deliver a note to his brother from her mother. The journey to the United States of America from Mexico as an illegal immigrant is risky. Therefore, Makina collaborates with gangsters who help her cross the border. While in the U.S.A, Makina manages to find her brother, but he refuses to honor his mother's note. Ironically, instead of Makina returning home to deliver his brother's message to her mother, she decides to get U.S.A citizenship and decides to stay there for good.
The satire of trust
Makina is a respectable person in her community, and she is trusted with the responsibility of controlling the village's switchboard. The irony of trust in this text is that even the gangsters' boxes trust Makina! Consequently, the reader wonders how Makina maintains the community's trust when she collaborates very well with the gangsters' bosses.
The irony of the wealthy American family that adopted Makina’s brother
The wealthy American family that adopted Makina's brother had ill intentions. The reader learns that this American family was supposed to give out their son to join the army and go to war, but they feared for their son's safety. Therefore, they lured Makina's brother and promised him goodies which convinced him to join the army and go to war. Satirically, the wealthy American family did not expect Makina's brother to survive because they never wanted to fulfill their promises. Ironically, Makina's brother survived the war and lived in the barracks, but the American family could not give him whatever they promised in full.
The irony of Makina’s brother refusal to go back to Mexico
Makina's mother sends Makina to America to convince his brother to come back to Mexico to claim land under dispute. Ironically, Makina's brother refuses to accept his mother's request to go back to Mexico because he has no ambition. The mother is heartbroken upon realizing that her son will never return.
The irony of the American citizens
When Makina arrives in the U.S.A, she discovers that racism is on the rise, and most Mexicans are not given equal opportunities. The jobs that Mexicans are allowed to take are the lowest on the ladder, which no other American is willing to do. Satirically, the lowest jobs on the ladder are critical in America's economic growth, but its citizens consider them as meager jobs.
