How could someone be so cruel? (Situational Irony)
Ana Perez interviews Amparo about the symbolic crucifixions. She asks Amparo how someone could be so cruel as to steal a child from their deathbed and hang them up on a cross. Her question is ironic because it completely misses the question the audience is expecting: how could Arrowhead be so cruel as to knowingly poison a community? However, rather than focus on why the child died, Ana Perez is more concerned about what happens to the child’s body after it’s gone.
Cerezita’s Transformation (Dramatic Irony)
When Dolores sees Cerezita’s transformation into the Virgin of Guadalupe, she believes it’s a miracle. Dolores takes in the cross, veil, and Cerezita’s haircut and thinks it’s a sign from God that the virgin has come to protect them. This is an example of dramatic irony. The audience knows that in fact Cerezita enlisted Bonnie and the other children to help her take on the likeness of the Virgin. This knowledge allows the audience to understand that Cerezita’s transformation is a political act rather than a religious one. While her goal of protecting the people of McLaughlin is the same, she is using religion not as an end in itself, but as a tool to bring about change in her community.
Fathers for Fathers (Verbal Irony)
In talking with Juan about fatherhood, Don Gilberto asks if Juan has any children. Juan is shocked, saying he cannot because he’s a priest. Don Gilberto jokes that being a priest is no excuse since “half the Mexican population got father for fathers.” While clearly an overstatement, his joke points to the reality that many Catholic priests have broken their vows of celibacy and fathered children.
