What Is The Autobiography Of A Face By Lucy Grealy

Autobiography of a Face follows the story of Lucy Grealy, who as a child was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer leading to the removal of part of her jaw. With the damage to her face conspicuous to the rest of the world, Grealy struggles with her concepts of beauty and strength in the face of adversity. Her memoir makes a brilliant comment on the nature and definition of strength, and the lengths to which one will go in order to protect oneself from harm.

In the chapter “Masks,” Grealy discusses her elementary school graduation, and how she was recognized for the bravery she displayed during her cancer treatment. She is gifted a copy of The Prophet:

Later, alone in my room, I opened the book at random. The verse I read was about love, about

She does not deny love that is given; rather, Grealy believes she is denying love in the same way love has been denied to her. Love, of course, being an emotion, cannot deny her; Grealy is actually speaking about those around her, and how she believes they have denied her of their love. This highlights what Grealy believes to be strength: instead of seeking love and being rejected, she rejects love first, and therefore protects herself from

Is this not how many people function, in order to protect themselves? Do people not reject love after heartbreak, after being harmed? While Grealy’s story is unique and, on its face, difficult to relate to, the underlying message is widely relatable: People protect themselves from emotional harm by shielding themselves from connections with others. Grealy—mentioning “love” five times in one paragraph—insists that she wants no part in love, while just beneath the surface struggles with the very concept. To communicate the theme of strength and self-protection, Grealy employs a variety of rhetorical techniques and frames it beautifully within the context of perhaps the most relatable human emotion: