#4

"The three of them, Sethe, Denver, and Paul D, breathed to the same beat, like one tired person. Another breathing was just as tired."

This quote captures an ironic idea. The rhythm of the sentence is choppy and uneven, but the author says that the breathing of the three mentioned characters is the same. This is also ironic because they all have different perceptions of the situation that just occured. The other breathing that is mentioned in the second sentence is not revealed. The author is showing how the characters keep the ghost of the house in the back of their mind (mentioned in a separate and short sentence,) and try to keep it a secret. This occuring theme/motif displays how all people sometimes hide things that are the least bit shameful. Doing this makes them all tired and weary.