Granny’s attitude towards the doctor
Granny treats the doctor not very seriously considering him to be a boy not competent and not able to do any good for her, she says him to “take his schoolbooks and go”, which gives an impression that he knows nothing of life, but only what he has learned from books. But she has experienced so much, she asks him: “Where were you forty years ago when I pulled through milk-leg and double pneumonia? You weren’t even born.” She, not being a doctor, may know more than this boy. And even when she is about to gasp her last breath, she is telling something to each of her children, the only what she can tell the doctor is “to shut up”. This ironic attitude gives an impression of granny’s completeness, she does not need any help, she is strong enough to deal with her troubles.
Cornelia’s dutifulness
It is considered that dutifulness and obedience are traits that are favored in children, especially by their parents. But granny considers her daughter Cornelia too dutiful and “that was the trouble with her. So good and dutiful that I’d like to spank her.” It sounds ironic that mother would like to spank her daughter for being dutiful. It gives a deeper insight into granny’s character, she seems not to be a person who would live only by the rules dictated by society and commonly accepted norms, she lives her own mind, and does what she thinks is right and beneficial for her and her close.
Granny’s attitude for everything being organized
Granny’s wandering thoughts on order and tidiness, on a lot of things to be done and arranged provides an impression of her as a very neat person. But mentioning that there is tomorrow for all this to do is somehow contradictory, as a person who likes everything clean and tidy would not leave it for next day, she would do it right away. Irony provides an image of who granny really is, and it might differ a little from the person she takes herself for.
