The Irony of Temperament
The author narrates that Hoonie is a heavily built person with great energy. He is also born with a cleft palate and a twisted leg. As a young adult, many must have made fun of him and this angered him much. Ironically, despite being energetic with a strong body, he can retain his temperament and remain cool. This is extraordinary because many people take advantage of what they are endowed with. The author writes:
“Boonie was born with a cleft palate and a twisted foot; he was, however, endowed with hefty shoulders, a squat build, and a golden complexion. Even as a young man, he retained the mild, thoughtful temperament he'd had as a child. “
The Irony of Hoonie
The author notes as an adolescent, Hoonie works so smart and strong as twice a young man of his age. Despite that he cannot walk fast just like his father, he can lift heavy loads. People make fun of him and his father that they cannot even lift a cup of wine. However, it is ironic that he is able to carry heavy loads despite his condition. The author says:
“As an adolescent, Hoonie worked nearly as well as a strong man twice his age with two well-shaped legs; he was dexterous with his hands and could carry heavy loads, but he could not run or walk quickly. Both Hoonie and his father were known in the village for never picking up a cup of wine.”
The Irony of the Red-cheeked matchmaker
Hoonie has turned twenty-eight years and there are people out there thinking that he is now a man and should be given a bride. The red-cheeked Matchmaker calls Hoonie's mother and arranges for a meeting. The mother is aware that the Red-cheeked Matchmaker wants to get Hoonie a bride. Ironically, Hoonie has not asked her parents to look for him a bride. Hoonie thinks that a girl cannot to get married to a hand cupped man like him in the village. The author writes:
“Hoonie had never asked his parents for a bride. It was unthinkable that a decent family would let their daughter marry someone with deformities since such things were inevitable in the next generation."
The Irony of Yangjin
Yangjin’s father explains to her that the husband is a strawberry implying that he has a cleft palate. He also has a twisted leg making it impossible for him to walk faster. The father expects the worst response or denial from her daughter. Ironically, Hoonie’s cleft palate and twisted leg are not an obstacle for her to accept the proposal. She says that she is a good girl and she does not mind any form of disability of Hoonie. The fact that she did not cry concerning Hoonie’s condition took her father by surprise. The author writes:
“When Yangjin's father had told her that her husband would be like Strawberry but also with a crooked leg, she had not cried. He told her that she was a good girl. “
The Irony of Shaman
When Yangjin suggests that she is going to see a shaman, Hoonie and her parents are against the idea. During her third pregnancy, she decides to go secretly but still, her third born succumbs to smallpox. This is disappointing to her because she thought that this time her child would survive. It went beyond her expectation that the shaman did not prevent the death of her child. The author writes:
“Yet in the midst of her third pregnancy, she felt odd, and Yangjin resigned herself to the possibility that this one, too, may die. She lost her third to smallpox.“
