Anatomy of Humor: Mary Karr

The first thing that comes to mind when I hear “anatomy” is bones, muscles, and cells but unfortunately, the anatomy of humor is not so simple. We have spent much class time analyzing our readings, arguing over what is funny, and what is not, which is an example of how difficult it is to define humor and find it in the works of authors.

In attempts to define the anatomy of humor, we have discussed multiple theorists and their work on humor. Bergson, for example, sets rules for what is funny such as something can only be funny if you can relate to it. Although Mary Karr’s audience may not be able to associate with all of her life experiences, many of us can relate to parts of her life such as growing up with a sibling, parents who are divorced, and moving to a new city or state. Bergson would say that if we can relate to Mary, then we could laugh at her.

The first chapter starts at an awkward moment. The family doctor is examining Mary, who is nicknamed Pokey by her father; there is a firefighter in the room, her father with bruised knuckles, and her sister Lecia. Without much else information, we as readers are forced to remain unsure of what it is that is going on. Mary and Lecia are sisters, their father works at Gulf Oil and their mother is an artist. Their mother has been married seven times, two of which were to Mary and Lecia’s father. The town of Leechfield, Texas, though very dirty, its citizens pride themselves on its uncleanliness for they have received the label of the dirtiest town in Texas. Dad has a group of friends who also work at Gulf Oil and after work go to the American Legion, while their wives and families thought they were out paying bills and taking care of business. One wife found about this group of men and named them, The Liars’ Club. This group does not just comprise of men; Mary is the only child and woman allowed to come to the Liars’ Club. Mary was simply a daddy’s girl, but with the title of this memoir being The Liars Club, there must be some significance behind this. At the Liars’ Club dad tells the guys ridiculous stories, but sound believable. The attention is usually on dad.

In chapter two we learn about Grandma’s dislike for Dad since her Mom, nicknamed Charlie, left her previous husband who was a rich, for a man who was simply a factory worker. This is an awkward family indeed, though they believe they are normal. At home, they eat meals in bed, with their backs to each other, and facing different ways. Lecia and Mary have that typical sisterly hatred for each other; Playing hateful pranks on each other but in the next minute holding each other’s hand in times of danger. It is also in this chapter that we learn of Grandmas illness. Grandma had cancer and is not doing very well so she is invited to live with them. The family is forced to change some things in order to make Grandma feel a little more welcome. Mary is not welcome to the idea of Grandma coming to stay with them, and would rather her suffer in a nursing home. Grandma from day to day mopes around

Chapter 3 gives bad news of Grandma’s cancer. Her condition is getting worse and they soon find that she has to get her leg amputated. Of course, Mary could care less if this happens. Everyone else prepares to visit her in the hospital after the procedure. At the hospital, Mother is comforting, Lecia walks right up to the bed to talk to her, but Mary stands at the foot of the bed, disgusted. Mary is simply excited that she may be able to play in her wheelchair when they return home. Back at home, the girls return to their normal childhood. We learn of a game that the neighborhood kids called “Torture”. They reenact scenes from history such as the natural disasters and the Holocaust. One time the younger kids are packed together in a tiny old pigeon cage, while the older kids are acting as torturers. The kids are not allowed to leave until told so. In this game, Mary is the last one left. One of the teenage boys gets her out of the cage and leads her to someone’s garage. Unfortunately, Mary is raped. This boy walks her home as if nothing has happened. However, the teenage boy does not tell her not to tell anyone, Mary knew not to tell. It’s sad the things that happen to children that adults at times know nothing about until it is too late.

In Chapter, four Grandma’s cancer spreads to her brain. Instead of slowing her down, it makes her bear down harder on the household. She is definitely in pain but instead of taking her medication, she drinks a six-pack of beer everyday. Grandma develops cataracts and Mary cannot stand to look at her cloudy eyes. Grandma finds joys in finding fault in everything the girls do and orders Charlie to beat them. Emotionally beaten Charlie does as she is told. The girls take the beatings, for they are not injurious.

A tornado was on its way and the Moore’s decide to stay to pass it by. Things worsen and suddenly a National Guardsman comes and gets them out of the house. They decide to drive to Aunt Iris’s house in Kirbyville. On the Orange Bridge, the car gets out of control. Mother seems to have a part in it because while the car is wailing Mother continues to sing to the tunes on the radio. Mother finally gains control of the car and they are once again on their way. At Aunt Iris’s house, Grandma is put to bed. In the night, Mary is up wandering around unable to sleep. She creeps into the room where Grandma is sleeping and notices her hand hanging from the bed. She then notices her glasses on the ground with ants crawling over them and her up her hand. Mary then realizes Grandma had died. Charlie finds her later and starts to scream when she notices her mother had died.The first four chapters the reason why these are seen as humorous is that they come across to the reader as almost cynical. As Freud, describe cynicism as a type of joke.

During the second section of the book, there are multiple instances where Karr uses humor to draw the reader in, as well as to cushion the blow of the difficulties she faces in her day-to-day life. One example of humor in chapters 5-9 is when Mary’s father tells the Liars’ Club the story about his father dying by hanging to death. In no way is death by hanging humorous, but the fact that this story is completely false and fabricated does lend for some humor because Mary clues the reader into the truth, therefore the audience knows more than the people in the story.
Another instance of humor is the part in the book where I laughed aloud while reading for the first time in this book. It comes in the last sentence of chapter 9 after Charlie informs her daughters that she is going to be getting married yet again to a man that they have not even met. Charlie says “Say hello to your new daddy” and Mary narrates, “Lecia whispered what I was already thinking. Oh shit.” This is funny because although as a reader I could not directly relate to Mary and Lecia’s situation, I was thinking exactly the same thing and it became funny once Lecia voiced my thoughts. These situations spread throughout the book and provide some humor in instances that may not necessarily meet the traditional standards of what is funny.

In the last chapters (10-15), Mary Karr continues with her heavy weighted stories combined with the light humor she adds in. After her mother ends drinking she begins taking “diet pills” that have an affect that is unfavorable for Mary and Lecia, they cause their mother to be on edge and highly moody. The girls make up a unique jump rope rhyme:

“Meth-am-pheta-mean, Diet Pill will make you scream. Meth-am-pheta-mean keep you fighting, keep you lean.”

According to Freud’s theory of humor, jokes are hostile such as this to act as a defense mechanism. These girls are saddened by their mother’s abuse of alcohol and drugs, so they use it in play as a way of making it ok for them.

The Divine Secrets of The YaYa Sisterhood is a great example of the type of family dysfunction that the Karr's have. An alcoholic mother, and a daughter who is writing about her childhood.

In the end of the story, we find out that, all of her mother’s nervous behaviors have a reason, and that her father was not as full of it as one may think. The Liars’ Club is a story that is very hostile in its use of humor. As Freud may see it, this book used humor as a means to defend Mary Karr from the atrocities of her childhood.