The Irony of LaJoe’s Generosity
Kotlowitz writes, “A shy, soft-spoken woman, LaJoe was known for her warmth and generosity, not only to her own children but to her children’s friends. Though she received Aid to Families with Dependent Children, neighbours frequently knocked on her door to borrow a can of soup or a cup of flour…Many young men and women still called her “Mom.”
LaJoe’s ironic generosity surmises that being poor and generosity are not mutually exclusive. She is naturally altruistic; hence, shares willingly with her neighbors. In the same way, being rich does not guarantee that one would be generous. Being addressed as 'mum' by other individuals who are not family members affirms that she is a motherly figure who nurtures others.
“Twenty-seventh Ward”
Kotlowitz observes, “According to a 1980 profile of the Twenty-seventh Ward-a political configuration drawn, ironically, in the shape of a gun and including both Henry Horner and Rockwell Gardens.” The ironic gun-like shape of the ward underscores the ubiquity of gun violence in the ward. Designers of the boundaries many not have deliberately followed the gun shape when drawing it. Other than gun violence, the residents, who are predominantly black, are imperiled by poverty, whose effects are comparable to the effects of gun violence.
The Irony of “Horner’s Proximity”
Kotlowitz explains, “And despite Horner’s proximity –one mile-to the city’s booming downtown, LaJoe and her neighbours felt abandoned. Horner sat so close to the city’s business district that from the Sears Tower Observation deck tourists could have watched Lafayette duck gunfire on his birthday.”
Proximity to the city would make it possible for Horner to have basic amenities. Horner is isolated, arguably, since it is deemed a black's area. Racism influences the distribution of resources and prioritization of development. Being close to the city does not accord the black residents, at Horner, a superior experience. They are abandoned and secluded by the city itself.
The Irony of the Triplets
Kotlowitz explains, “LaJoe also had a set of four-year-old triplets: Timothy, Tiffany, and Tammie. The two girls so resembled each other that not even their father could tell them apart.” The triplets' father would not be expected to confuse them no matter how alike they are because they are not outsiders. His inability to distinguish them accentuates their unqualified similarity which would require close scrutiny before they are distinguished.
“Big-boned”
Kotlowitz writes, “Pharaoh liked to tell people he was big-boned “like my mama,” though she was, in fact, a small woman. He had LaJoe’s open and generous smile, and like his mother, who was only five feet two, he was short, so that LaJoe could, until he was nine or ten, pass him off as a five-year-old to get him on the bus without paying fare.” Although LaJoe is not big-bodied, Pharaoh discerns that her mother has big bones. LaJoe exhibits inherent strength which inspires Pharaoh to be strong. LaJoe’s inspirational mental and emotional strengths rise above her small size.
