Irony
Morrison’s sly skill of using irony is what created humor at the end of
the story. Throughout the entire novel, Heed and Christine have this utmost
hatred of each other because of Bill Cosey. They both accuse the other of
having killed Cosey, and even had a violent dispute at his funeral. That is
where L came in. As the cook of the hotel who always “restored order” between
Heed and Christine(34), and the one person who “Mr. Cosey never lied to..”
(67), L was always seen as “priestly (37).” She and two other hotel employees
were the only ones present when Cosey died. L was even the one who had
organized for the “county’s role model” to have a dignified funeral (37). And
then, during the funeral, L was the one who resolved the violent dispute between
Christine and Heed, seeming to have “stepped between those rigid vipers, forcing them to bite back their tongues” (37). However, this superwoman appearance was only for show since it was revealed at the end of the book that she was the
one who had poisoned Cosey. So, the irony was the fact that this “priestly” woman was really the main cause of Heed’s
and Christine’s problems. She let them live their lives in hate and speculation of each other because no one ever even
thought for a second that his death could have been caused by the almighty L.
Morrison also uses irony when depicting the relationship between Christine and Heed. The two were best
friends in their younger age, and became enemies overnight because of a decision that neither of them had control over:
Heed’s marriage to Cosey. Heed’s family was so thirsty for money that they sold their twelve year old daughter to a sick
and twisted old man, and Christine could not help it that her grandfather was interested in twelve year old little girls. The
irony was the fact that these two women lived almost their entire lives from that moment detesting each other. They lived underneath the same roof for years without ever once having a real conversation, and it was only when Heed had been on
the verge of dying, back in the abandoned hotel, that they confessed all of their anger towards one another. Every last
trace of their friendship started on the beach of that hotel, every ounce of hate was brewed behind its walls, and it was back in that same place that every wrongdoing and sin was forgiven.
the story. Throughout the entire novel, Heed and Christine have this utmost
hatred of each other because of Bill Cosey. They both accuse the other of
having killed Cosey, and even had a violent dispute at his funeral. That is
where L came in. As the cook of the hotel who always “restored order” between
Heed and Christine(34), and the one person who “Mr. Cosey never lied to..”
(67), L was always seen as “priestly (37).” She and two other hotel employees
were the only ones present when Cosey died. L was even the one who had
organized for the “county’s role model” to have a dignified funeral (37). And
then, during the funeral, L was the one who resolved the violent dispute between
Christine and Heed, seeming to have “stepped between those rigid vipers, forcing them to bite back their tongues” (37). However, this superwoman appearance was only for show since it was revealed at the end of the book that she was the
one who had poisoned Cosey. So, the irony was the fact that this “priestly” woman was really the main cause of Heed’s
and Christine’s problems. She let them live their lives in hate and speculation of each other because no one ever even
thought for a second that his death could have been caused by the almighty L.
Morrison also uses irony when depicting the relationship between Christine and Heed. The two were best
friends in their younger age, and became enemies overnight because of a decision that neither of them had control over:
Heed’s marriage to Cosey. Heed’s family was so thirsty for money that they sold their twelve year old daughter to a sick
and twisted old man, and Christine could not help it that her grandfather was interested in twelve year old little girls. The
irony was the fact that these two women lived almost their entire lives from that moment detesting each other. They lived underneath the same roof for years without ever once having a real conversation, and it was only when Heed had been on
the verge of dying, back in the abandoned hotel, that they confessed all of their anger towards one another. Every last
trace of their friendship started on the beach of that hotel, every ounce of hate was brewed behind its walls, and it was back in that same place that every wrongdoing and sin was forgiven.
Conclusion
Hate is an addicting emotion. Hate can consume a life, and hate can also bring people together. In the novel Love, by Toni Morrison, figurative language and setting are used to express the delicate balance between love and hate.