Eileen Toomey
FIND THE CONTRAST

I had a happy childhood despite difficult circumstances due to my father’s alcoholism. Luckily, my mother had an ability to focus on what she called the “little things”—moments of clarity, beauty, and humor that shaped our experience, even during hard times. A moment that often comes back in my writing is one morning when my father is leaving for work and forgets his thermos. I’m sitting on my mother’s lap when he barrels back into the kitchen, work boots slamming against the linoleum floor, and snatches the thermos from the stove.

“I wonder what he has in there?” my mother says sarcastically as he slams the front door.

I am six or seven, so I literally think about the square pints of Seagram’s Seven—the big red seven—we found wedged under the cabinet when remodeling the bathroom.

“Seagram’s Seven!” I answer like I’m going to win a prize.

For the shortest moment, my mother looks like she might cry, but instead, she laughs, and soon I’m laughing too. Instead of one more moment of trauma, we share a glimpse of transcendence. 

Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes, Dorothy Allison’s Bastard Out of Carolina, and Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis masterfully show how contrast can deepen emotional resonance. All three authors write about hardship, but they elevate their stories by juxtaposing beauty, humor, or defiance with the grim realities of poverty, abuse, and loss.

In Angela’s Ashes, McCourt uses humor and lyrical descriptions to offset the bleakness of his childhood. Vivid details of Limerick’s rain-drenched streets and playful moments with his siblings and father woven-in with Irish mythology bring lightness that makes the harshness bearable. This balance mirrors the resilience of navigating a grim world.

Dorothy Allison’s Bastard Out of Carolina juxtaposes familial love with Bone’s abuse. Her tender descriptions of Southern life—the smells of food, sounds of laughter, and family bonds—heighten the impact of her stepfather’s cruelty and her mother’s betrayal. These contrasts amplify the emotional stakes.

Kafka’s Metamorphosis blends absurdity and despair. Gregor’s grotesque transformation into a giant insect, narrated in mundane detail, creates dark humor. His unwieldy legs and concern about being late to work contrast with the tragedy of his growing isolation. This absurdity amplifies the story’s emotional depth and lasting resonance.

These writers remind me how moments of contrast—whether through humor, absurdity, or beauty—can elevate a story. 

Writing Tip: Seek out the moments where opposites meet—humor in darkness, beauty in chaos, or absurdity in grief. These contrasts heighten emotional resonance and reveal the complexity of your narrative. What are the details, from the mundane to the fantastic, that anchor your narrator in their reality?

Eileen Toomey has been published in The Rumpus, Cleaver Magazine, Oyster River Pages, and various literary magazines. Her poem “Immunotherapy” won second prize in Cleaver’s FORM & FORM-BREAKING Competition and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2023. Her creative nonfiction piece “Canaryville Girls” won second prize in Cleaver’s DUALITY NON-FICITON Competition in 2024. Eileen is a book inc writer and an instructor at Project Write Now, a non-profit writing organization, located in Red Bank, NJ. She is currently working on a memoir about her childhood in the working-class neighborhood, Canaryville, on Chicago’s south side. You can find links to her publications and social media accounts at https://bookinc.org/member/etoomey.

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