Saving by destroying
An ironical statement appears from the beginning of the text, when Margery explains why she chooses to write a book. She wanted to let the reader know how God helped her and how she was saved when her life was destroyed. Margery does not blame God for all the misfortune that happened in her life but rather sees it as something she deserved, a punishment she had to suffer and something that made her a better person in the end. While for a modern day reader this statement may be contradictory and hard to understand, it was a common idea found in the time when Margery wrote her book.
Not so blind
While religious figures push Kempe to write about her life and have it published, it seems that the rest of the world does not want to have her book published. When she finds someone to write her book, it is revealed that they are unable to write properly in English. Then, a scribe gives up on the project and then when she finally finds someone to write the book for her, he ironically can’t see her manuscript properly even though he can see everything else just fine.
Punished or blessed
In the ninth chapter, Kempe talks how when she was in church one day praying, a portion from the ceiling broke and fell on her. Miraculously, Kempe was not harmed by the falling debris and the incident was seen by many onlookers. From that point on, Kempe was seen as being blessed by God because she remained unharmed even after a big portion from a ceiling felt on her. Ironically however, many saw the incident not as a proof that Kempe was protected by God but rather that she was punished by him for something bad she must have done.
Believing in her
From England to Jerusalem, Kempe travels in the company of a large group of people. From the beginning, the people from that group can’t stand Kempe because of her behavior and because of her way of life and how she chooses to manifest her faith. Despite being treated badly, Kempe still wants to get along with them and thus she tells them that she had a revelation and that God told her to take another ship that the one she wanted to take initially. Ironically, even though the group of travelers can’t stand Kempe, they all change they ship they were supposed to take and embarked on another shit Kempe took.
Hated by priests
The people who question Kempe the most and who seem to be less inclined to believe in her holiness are the priests themselves. They question Kempe’s motives for behaving in such and erratic way and they put her often through tests to prove that she is a faker who is only interested in being famous. The situation is ironical considering Kempe’s close relationship with God and that despite this, most of her persecutors are religious people as well.
