Being frank
Boys from the neighborhood tease Rufus because of his “nigger’s name” (to take the narrative's derogatory term). Being rather naïve and absolutely unaware of a reason for all those jokes, Rufus tries to do his best in order to understand what is really wrong. Like any other boy, he also wants to have friends to play with, which makes to behave friendly towards others. However, he is not a fool and tries to find out intentions that lie behind constant inquires about his name. When he asks a boy, if it is true that he doesn’t know Rufus’s name that boy hurries up to “cross my heart and body” in conformation of his unawareness. The irony is that for a boy who is raised by a religious mother believes that it is enough for someone just to cross his heart and body in order to tell the truth.
Compassion
Father Jackson is a Christian, a man who is supposed to be kind, forgiving, caring and compassionate. In reality, he is no closer to God than atheists. He believes that Jay is less worthy than him just because Jay’s parents didn’t baptize him. Uncle Andrew is taken aback with this lack of understanding and compassion. He calls the Catholic Church “our little club”. The irony of his words shows that the majority of the Catholics behave more like snobs than like true Christians.
No chance
Like any other loving and caring mother, Mary is scared to tell her children the news about their father’s death. She avoids using such words as "death" and "dead," replacing them with various euphemisms. When she ends her story, her little daughter is absolutely confused and, as if trying to comprehend what her mother has just told them, sums everything up, using her own words. She says “he would if he could but he can’t” and everyone starts laughing. The irony is that Mary’s explanation of Jay’s death is not better at all and this nonsense is a result of her unwillingness to call things by their names.
