The Irony of a Rogerio Mendez abandoning the Maria la Loca at the altar-“Casa”
In one of Cofer’s childhood tales, Mama narrates about how “ a man could leave a girl standing at the church altar with a bouquet of fresh flowers in her hands and disappear off the face of the earth.” The man’s withdrawal would be ironic in the view of the groundworks for the nuptials. A man who undertakes to walk down the aisle should be in love; thus, failing to put in an appearance at the church during for wedding should be out of the question. Besides, why would Rogerio forsake Maria la Loca when she was a “beautiful girl?” Perhaps, he used the marriage proposal as a carrot to lure Maria la Loca.
The Irony of “Little Red Hood through the forest”- “Casa”
Cofer brings metafiction into play when she observes, “Maria seem imperviousness to it all, carrying her basket of pastles like a grotesque Little Red Riding Hood through the forest.” Likening Maria la Cola to the ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, a fairy tale, is ironic because Maria la Cola’s circumstances is not analogous to a fairy tale. Besides, Maria la Cola is not as spectacular as the ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ since her seductiveness is bygone.
The Irony of “Sweet Agony” (“First Love”)
Cofer regards the agony of her ‘secret love’ not noticing her to be sweet. Ordinarily, agony would elicit emotional distress. However, Cofer’s love is so concentrated that it assuages her affliction.
