The Name of the Game is Irony

            In the past I have ridiculed Hokum. I have found it to be unfunny and even upsetting/offensive. Even with my inherit appreciation of dark humor, I have found it difficult to find the humor throughout this book. In the case of “Dirty Deceivers” though, I did chuckle at the end. To summarize, the story is about a couple who both hide the fact that they are part black from each other and the world. After a long time, they found out each other’s secret, and were for a moment happy. Shortly after, they became so upset at each other’s deceit that they both were suing for divorce on grounds of false pretenses.

            When I started reading the story I first noted how matter-of-fact it is written. There is no real use of imagery or even an attempt to show, not tell. “Dirty Deceivers” is simply a relaying of events, no icing or French fries necessary. Despite all the great advise of writers, I somehow preferred this particular story to written in this blunt way. It made the series of events the most prominent thing which created an emphasis on the irony of their hiding their secret lives from one another and eventually suing each other for divorce because of a decision they both made. Psychoanalyzing the characters themselves, it is interesting that for them the thing that apparently keeps their love alive is having a huge secret from one another. This secret seems to both weigh them down and create unnecessary hassle for them as well as excite them because it is something that only they know, and they take great pains to protect it.