The satire of Christianity
Christians are expected to be morally upright and follow religious teachings to the latter. Ironically, Mr. and Mrs. Winterson are Christians in disguise because their behaviors and attitudes do not conform to religious teachings. When the couple adopts Jeanette, they pretend that they are religious and start teaching the girl Christianity morals. However, later the couple turns out to be abusive towards the adopted daughter.
The Irony of Mrs. Winterson
Mrs. Winterson does not like Jeanette, and she argues that she picked the wrong crib from the adoption center! Firstly, the reader understands that Mrs. Winterson is barren and cannot get a child of her own. Instead of appreciating having adopted an innocent girl, she wrongly accuses her and asks her husband to beat her on several occasions.
The satire of Jeanette’s adoption
Jeanette has no parents, and she finds herself in an orphanage. When she gets adopted by a Christian family, Jeanette is happy that she has found a home and will have a happy ending. Ironically, Jeanette does not know that she is coming out of a frying pan to fire! Jeanette's new home is hell and worse than her previous condition because she is abused often and sometimes thrown out to the cold.
The satire of success
Success is often predetermined, but in the case of Jeanette, the reader concludes that it is fate. Despite having the worst childhood experience with her adopted parents, Jeanette emerges victorious after studying at Oxford University. No one expected that Jeanette would end up being one of the most celebrated authors in the world.
The satire of reunion
Jeanette grew up without her biological parents, but she kept the hope burning that she could reunite with one of them one day. However, Jeanette's past experiences made her believe that it would be impossible to meet her mother. At some point, Jeanette decided to commit suicide despite her success. Ironically, after doing extensive research about her mother, she lastly reunited with her, and they bonded more than ever.
