“I wouldn’t last more than a day”
Grealy recounts, "So my mother obligingly drove all sixty-odd pounds of me down to Diamond D, where my pale and misshapen face seemed to surprise all of us. They let me water a few horses, imagining I wouldn’t last more than a day. I stayed for four years. “ Grealy’s foremost job at Diamond D is anticipated to be short-term, perhaps, due to her evident sickliness. She exceeds the expectation of "not lasting more than a day" by working there "for four years." Her ironic endurance at Diamond D depicts inherent passion for horses which cannot be diminished by her cancer.
The Irony of Makeup
Grealy explains, “ I looked at girls in my class, with their perfect faces, and wondered why on earth they ruined them with so much makeup, such stupid hair. If I had a face like that, I told myself- then harshly reprimanded my face for any strings of desire.” The girls utilize makeup to amplify their looks. However, Grealy deems the makeup ugly because it interferes with their natural beauty. Grealy’s ironic perception of the makeup depicts here unconscious yearning for a natural and healthy face which is not disfigured by tumors.
The Irony of Chaos
Grealy writes, “ Living in a country where I didn’t speak the language suited me just fine…Intending to ride one U-Bahn line, I’d often end up in a completely different part of town, with only my own wits and the help of strangers to get me back home. It was a safe kind of chaos, and at some point I understood that I was cultivating my “aloneness” in this strange place as a method for putting off loneliness.” Grealy, ironically enjoys the chaos of getting lost. Ordinarily, the chaos would have rendered her uncomfortable. Nevertheless, the chaos enables her to interact with individuals who aid her in the course of tracing her house. Exploring the chaos permits her to forget her lonesome existence. Accordingly, chaos are not absolutely unsafe.
