Get out
In the story "Mericans," the protagonist goes to church with her grandmother but she decides to stay outside and play with her brother. Even though the grandmother would like her family to be more religious, she insists the children remain outside if they can’t stand still. When the protagonist goes inside to be with her grandmother, she is ironically cast out by her even if the grandmother wanted her family to become religious.
Trying to speak English
Another ironic moment takes place in the story of Micaela and her brother. When Micaela comes out of the church and sees her brother, he sees him talking with a couple who did not looked as if they belonged there. The couple tried to talk with the boy in Spanish but when Micaela comes, her brother does not hesitate to talk with his sister in English. This revelation shocked the couple who did not believed that the two children can speak English. This also shows just how bigoted the two were and how easy it was for them to judge someone they did not knew.
Profitable business
In the story "Tepeyac," the narrator presents a place considered by many as being holy, a place where many go to worship and think about God. Ironically, the narrator mentions less the religious aspect and more the economical one as he points out that many people near the hill do business that profit from the people who went there to pray and think about religious matters. This element is ironic especially considering how in the Bible, Jesus stated that religious aspects and financial gain should not be mixed and should not have anything to do with one another.
Looking like a slut
In the story "My Tocaya," the narrator talks about a girl named Trish and mentions how the girl behaved and the clothes she wore. The narrator criticizes Trish for her fashion sense and even implies that what happened to her was a direct result of her behavior and of her fashion choice. However, despite all this, the narrator is forced to admit that Trish was an intelligent girl who despite everything that happened in her life was so smart she became a high school student before anyone else. This proves that Trish was more than just a pretty girl and that she was in fact a highly intelligent young woman.
Misidentified by the parents
In the story "My Tocaya," the character Trish disappears and everyone starts looking for her. Trish’s parents put ads in the local newspaper asking for their daughter to return and the police and authorities do everything they can to find the young girl. A few weeks after her disappearance, the police find a body and Trish’s parents identify the body as being Trish. Ironically, just a few days later, Trish shows up, unharmed. The event shows just how little Trish’s parents knew about their daughter and how disconnected they were from her.
