The Irony of Ursa's Hysterectomy
By a cruel twist of fate, Ursa is robbed of her ability to bear children by Mutt's anger when he pushes her down the stairs. After her hysterectomy Ursa feels worthless because she's been raised to believe that her primary purpose in life is to raise children, particularly daughters. She has to realize that perhaps this was her true destiny after all, that the surgery is a blessing in disguise because it frees up her energy to focus on her singing career which is her true passion after all.
The Irony of Mutt's Jealousy
Mutt fell in love with Ursa at the club. He watched her sing and couldn't believe that she chose him for a romantic partner. After their wedding, however, he orders her to quit singing because he's jealous of how all the other men -- like him -- look at her. He becomes insecure about the very thing he first loved her for doing.
The Irony of Great Gram's Prostitution
Corregidora forces his slave, Great Gram, Ursa's great-grandmother, to become a prostitute in order to keep her earnings for himself. He treats her like trash, but he also rapes her and fathers a child with her. On the one hand he's exploiting her for economic gain because he can see no better use for her, but on the other hand he's also sampling the goods. He fathers a child with a prostitute and then obviously regrets his choices when she becomes pregnant. He's lowered his own status in the process.
The Irony of Ursa's Jealousy of Tadpole
When Ursa leaves Happy's to sing at Spider's, she's already having a rough time in her relationship with Tadpole. He drinks too much, but he's still passionate about her. She's shocked to learn that he's started sleeping with the new lead singer at Happy's behind her back, but she probably shouldn't be surprised. After all, Tadpole slept with her because she was his headliner. When she leaves, he has no other reason to hold onto her.
The Irony of Ursa and her Mother's Abuse
It seems that all the women of the family have been victims of domestic violence. When Ursa talks to her mother, she learns that mom has had a very sordid history with men. The irony here is that Ursa's grandma and great-grandma wanted the exact opposite for their daughters but instead made this reality more likely for them. By emphasizing the untrustworthiness of men and placing enormous pressure on their daughters to pass on the family legacy, they unwittingly set their daughters up for failure due to low expectations. Ursa and her mom expected to be abused by their husbands and boyfriends, so they forgot to look for respectful men of good character.
