The irony of desire
Each character in the novel is challenged by their circumstances, and the effect is that each person has fairly pronounced desires. These desires are not the flippant, luxurious desires of privileged life, either. The Lacasse family is in dire straights, financially, emotionally, and even in their fight for Daniel's life. However, the end of the novel gives each character a better station, without giving them what they wanted. Ironically, the characters all wanted things that wouldn't have been best, and it was in their best interest to not get what the wanted.
Jean's disgust
When Florentine invites Jean over for their first romp in the hay, Jean sees how Florentine's family really lives. He sees the state of her dingy, smelly apartment, and he judges her for it. In this, Jean becomes an ironic character, because Florentine dreams of Jean saving her from her life of poverty, but instead, he sleeps with her and then leaves forever, leaving her pregnant and poor. He is not her hero, but a shallow villain in disguise.
Azarius, the ironic father
Azarius's passionate, thoughtful nature makes him somewhat unreliable and undependable. This makes him a bad employee, so he never earns what he could potentially earn for the family. This puts Florentine in an unfair position. This is ironic, because it inverts the typical relationship where a father would provide for his daughter, instead of the daughter providing for her father. On a positive note, Azarius finds his voice rousing his fellow French Canadians to go to England to fight against Germany. For his service, he finds a $95 monthly salary, way more than the family needs for a better life.
The country life
People moved into the cities for more opportunities, but when Rose-Anna goes home to her family in the country, she discovers that they are healthy, well-fed, and mentally balanced. She realizes that her urban life has been challenging her in ways that are difficult to articulate. Ironically, the progress of urbanization represented a step back for the Lacasse family.
The ironic fiancee
When Florentine accepts Emmanuel's proposal to get married, she chooses to sleep with him in order to convince him that Jean's baby is really his. He doesn't know she is pregnant (dramatic irony). Her willingness to mislead herself and him is ironic, given the role that she is agreeing to service in relationship to Emmanuel. In other words, it's ironic to start off a marriage with a serious lie.
