Evelyn Dying of Breast Cancer
Prior to the start of the plot, Evelyn has been diagnosed with terminal breast cancer; she ultimately decides to end her own life rather than suffer at the mercy of her disease. Evelyn suffering from this particular disease is ironic because her voluptuous breasts have played a direct role in her fame and success. Evelyn repeatedly notes how her breasts were a particular physical asset that helped her to stand out among other actresses, and also allowed her to seduce men. In her relationships, ranging from her first encounter with the dime store clerk to how she manipulates Mick Riva into marrying her, Evelyn's breasts give her a certain form of power. This aspect also plays out in her career, when she achieves success based on her willingness to expose or hint at exposing them. The very things about her body that have given her some amount of power and agency also make her vulnerable in the event. The irony of Evelyn dying of breast cancer reveals that her illusion of power and agency is not as extensive as she thinks.
Harry Dying after the Car Accident
When Evelyn comes upon the scene of the car accident, and realizes that Harry was driving the car while drunk, she becomes very concerned with him facing legal consequences, especially since the passenger has been killed in the accident. To protect Harry, Evelyn switches the position so that it appears that the deceased passenger was the one driving. Ironically, Harry dies from his injuries a short time later: Evelyn's action turns out to have been unnecessary. Even Evelyn concedes that if she had known Harry was going to die anyways, she might not have switched the passenger's position. Evelyn's action is ironic because she is so determined to protect Harry from legal consequences, but does not realize that it is already too late to protect him from the physical consequences of the crash.
Evelyn Getting Pregnant
After Evelyn's contrived and extremely brief marriage to Mick Riva, she discovers that she is pregnant. This pregnancy causes strong conflict between Celia and Evelyn, and leads to them parting ways and not speaking for 5 years. This pregnancy, and the conflict it causes, is ironic, because Evelyn's short-lived marriage to Mick was intended to protect and strengthen her relationship to Celia. Evelyn only married him because she wanted to create greater safety for Celia and herself to be together without having their relationship exposed. However, the marriage led to the pregnancy that tore the relationship apart. The pregnancy is also ironic because it shows that even when a woman tries to use sex to her advantage, she is still very vulnerable. Evelyn thinks she is completely in control of her plot to manipulate Mick, and she initially seems to succeed, but then her body betrays her.
The Marriage between Monique's Parents
Monique remembers her childhood, and the relationship between her parents, very fondly. At times, she cannot help contrasting Evelyn's many marriages, and their sometimes pragmatic or manipulative aspects, to the true love she saw between her own parents. Monique's image of this relationship also leads her to feel greater shame when her own marriage to David fails. However, Monique discovers via Evelyn's narrative that, ironically, her parents' seemingly ideal relationship had its own secret: her father had at least one affair with another man. This discovery is ironic because Monique has been making assumptions about the meaning of family and marriage based on the model of her own parents, and applying these assumptions to her own life and to Evelyn's marriage. It is also ironic because Evelyn's experience were actually far more similar to Monique's own family history than she ever understood. What seemed bizarre and unusual about Evelyn's romantic history might be much more commonplace than Monique expected.
