Light-Skinned Parents Give Birth to A Dark-Skinned Baby (Situational Irony)
The central conflict of "Sweetness" revolves around an instance of situational irony: despite Sweetness and Louis being light-skinned, they have a dark-skinned daughter. Lula Ann's inexplicably black skin undermines Sweetness's and Louis's expectations so thoroughly that their marriage falls apart and they cannot accept their daughter. Used to living with the privileges of light skin and the prejudices of colorism, Sweetness sees Lula Ann's skin as nothing but a burden for her and for Lula Ann to contend with. Furthering the irony, Sweetness only ever sees Lula Ann's skin as unnatural, unable to see the darker pigment as a natural expression of her and Louis's African heritage.
Lula Ann Emphasizes Her Blackness (Situational Irony)
While Sweetness devotes her energy toward teaching Lula Ann to be ashamed of her color, Lula Ann grows up to embrace the beauty of her blackness. Even Sweetness is unable to deny that her daughter looks striking and confident when she wears white clothing, which contrasts with her dark skin and thereby draws attention to it. In this instance of situational irony, Lula Ann takes the opposite approach from what her mother tries to teach her by celebrating her color instead of hiding it.
Lula Ann Rejects Her Mother (Situational Irony)
While most of "Sweetness" depicts Sweetness's struggle against her impulse to reject her daughter because of her daughter's dark skin, the story resolves on an instance of situational irony: Having been all her life rejected by her mother, Lula Ann rejects Sweetness. As Sweetness grows old and suffers ill health, the power shifts to Lula Ann, who punishes Sweetness by rarely visiting and neglecting to include a return address in letters. In this way, Sweetness's treatment of Lula Ann comes back to her in Lula Ann's decision to have little to do with the mother who wanted little to do with her.
