The irony of the Center
The Center is a commercialized residential complex meant to epitomize safety and luxury. The outside rural life is ravaged by poverty and fear as its inhabitants either covet to reside in the complex or protest it. Ironically The Center is a façade for something more sinister as it presents its worth more than it actually is. In that, through authoritarian governance and fear tactics, they have rendered the rural life unsafe and destitute.
Irony of creation
The narrative delves into the nature of creation and artistic expression by juxtaposing human beings with commodities. Cipriano is a clay potter invested in creating authentic pieces meant to last long and have a lasting appeal. His vocation acts as an extended metaphor to the manner people have chosen to trade their authentic lives for inauthentic ones. Ironically, creativity is stifled and controlled by forces that intentionally forge an artificial world.
Irony of commercialism
The Center incorporates commercialism to exert its authoritarian control over the masses and the countryside. The economy is dictated by what the Center demands and they can term a commodity obsolete without reason. Ironically the retailers and laborers cannot resell or find a new market for their products anywhere else after that. This economic market does not make any logical sense unless looked through the lens of a totalitarian dynamic.
Irony of redundancy
In a society that glorifies consumerism and commercialism, the small-scale producer suffers the most. As a rural manual laborer Cipriano tries to keep up with the changing market and the new demands. Initially, his clayware is termed obsolete, which prompts him to rethink and adopt new methods. Ironically the ceramic dolls experience huge demands before they drop as they also become outmoded. In this erratic and dictatorial market redundancy is inevitable even though Cipriano is frustrated and partially blames himself.
The irony of the cave
The narrative is based on Plato’s allegory of the cave about the power of perception against reality. Its message cautions about the negative implication of a superficial mindset controlled by larger forces at play. However, towards the climax of the story, the cave becomes more than just an allegory but a literal cave. The hanging dead bodies staring at a blank wall resemble the prisoners staring at shadows in Plato’s cave.
