The Irony of Sumire’s Unattractiveness
K explicates, “Sumire wasn’t exactly a beauty. Her cheeks were sunken, her mouth a little too wide. Her nose was on the small side and upturned. She had an expressive face and a great sense of humour, though she hardly ever laughed out loud. She was short, and even in a good mood she talked like she was half a step away from picking a fight. I never knew her to use lipstick or eyebrow pencil, and I have my doubts that she even knew bras came in different sizes. Still, Sumire had something special about her, something that drew people to her. Defining that special something isn’t easy, but when you gazed into her eyes, you could always find it, reflected deep down inside.” First, Sumire’s limited sense of beauty is ironic considering that her father is particularly striking. Manifestly, she does not take after her father’s appealing looks. Second, Sumire overlooks beauty products such as ‘ lipstick or eyebrow’ which would have categorically augmented her beauty. Sumire’s obliviousness of the sizes of bras is also ironic considering such consciousness is distinctive for traditional girls. Nevertheless, her disinclination for feminine dynamics as an indicator of her Queer sexuality.
The Irony of a Step-Mother’s Love
Sumire’s stepmother’s affection for her is astonishing. K explicates, “Her ( Sumire) stepmother’s love for her never wavered during her long, difficult years of adolescence, and when Sumire declared she was going to quit college and write novels, her stepmother—though she had her own opinions on the matter—respected Sumire’s desire. She’d always been pleased that Sumire loved to read so much, and she encouraged her literary pursuits. Her stepmother eventually won over her father, and they decided that, until Sumire turned 28, they would provide her with a small stipend. If she wasn’t able to make a living by writing then, she’d be on her own. If her stepmother hadn’t spoken up in her defence, Sumire might very well have been thrown out—penniless, without the necessary social skills—into the wilderness of a somewhat humourless reality.” The step-mother adores her like her biological mother considering that she intervenes for her to get financial stipends which are contributory for her sustenance. If the step-mother were sinful or hateful, she would have endeavoured to warrant that Sumire’s father did not bid her any stipend. Furthermore, it would have been anticipated that Sumire’s father be the one to persuade his wife about the obligation of supporting Sumire financially because of their genetic bond. The irony underscores that for one to be motherly, genetic links are not a prerequisite.
“He’s a very Nice Guy”
K narrates, “The summer holiday of my first year in college I took a random trip by myself around the Hokuriku region, came across a woman eight years older than me who was also travelling alone, and we spent one night together… A while later we made love a second time, and this time it was a smooth, congenial ride. Being alert—I think I was starting to get it. For the first time I saw how a woman reacts in the throes of passion. The next morning after we ate breakfast together, we went our separate ways. She continued her trip, and I continued mine. As she left she told me she was getting married in two months to a man from work. “He’s a very nice guy,” she said cheerily. “We’ve been going out for five years, and we’re finally going to make it official.” The woman’s affirmation of her fiancée being nice is ironic because she has just been adulterous by partaking in a spontaneous sex with K whom is a stranger. If the woman were categorically in love, she would not have been unfaithful. Perhaps she cheats because of loneliness and boredom. The passion that she exhibits would make their affair seem like they have been longstanding romantic partners.
