Irony By: Michelle

Irony: is the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of it's literal meaning. In the novel, irony is used when Ellie calls her mother Marion instead of mother. The reason she calls her by her first name is because since her mother left her and came back Ellie feels like she's going to leave again someday. This is ironic because she calls her own mother by her first name and treats her like someone else other than her own mother but, her mother tries so hard to act like her mother and be part of Ellie's life again only because she feels bad for leaving her now. On page 122, Ellie thinks to herself when Marion says that Ellie can talk to her to that
"How could I tell her it was too late to start growing close- that we had lost that chance years and years ago?" Ellie seems to not trust her since she had left her. Jeremiah doesn't have problems with his parents he just has a problem with being with his dad one night and his mom the next. It is ironic that he and both Ellie know there are people out there who thinks it wrong for them to be together because of color but on page 89, when his best friend Carlton, tells him that he's in love Jeremiah says "but she's white." That is the reaction you would expect from someone on the outside or even worse. I think Jeremiah was just asking for an opinion from his best friend so he said that because he just wanted to know what someone on the outside close to him thinks.