The Irony of “Hold our dearest possessions more closely than we hold our friends” - “An Ambassador”
Towles writes, “For eventually, we come to hold our dearest possessions more closely than we hold our friends. We carry them from place to place, often at considerable expense and inconvenience, we dust and polish their surfaces and reprimand children for playing too roughly in their vicinity-all the while allowing memories to invest them with greater and greater importance…Until we imagine that these carefully preserved possessions might give us genuine solace in the face of a lost companion.” Ordinarily, we would be expected to form sturdy emotional ties with humans than emotionless objects. Psychoanalytically, the objects are classified as Objet Petit a for recollections or particular individuals, and are thus treasurable and unforgettable. Such special objects are personified due to the human emotions which are invested in them.
The Irony of Nina’s frowning - “Anyway”
The Count enlightens Nina, "A princesses would be raised to show respect for her elders…I wasn't referring to me, Nina. After all, I am practically a youth like yourself. No, by ‘elders,’ I meant the gray haired…I mean elders of every social class. The shopkeepers and milkmaids, blacksmiths and peasants.” After the Count’s clarification, “Nina frowned.” Her ironic frowning surmises that she is disappointed by the requirement for princess to respect elders notwithstanding their social classes. Nina had thought that by elders the Count was referring to “the grand dukes and grand duchesses.” Evidently, Nina is unfamiliar with the responsibilities of a princess. Her expectations are contrary to the grandness which she had anticipated.
The Irony of Mirrors - “An Appointment”
Towles explains, “Long had he (the Count) believed that a gentleman should turn to a mirror with a sense of distrust. For rather than being tools of self-discovery, mirrors tended to be tools of self-deceit. How many times had he watched as a young beauty turned thirty degrees before her mirror to ensure that she saw herself to the best advantage." Mirrors do not always provide accurate reflections. Alteration of angles changes the reflection which is produced at a particular instance. Various angles of different images; hence, a mirror can give one a false impression about his or her appearance. Mirrors are not trustworthy objects, despite their immense reflection capacity, because they can be manipulated to give desired images.
