The painting opens with the artist describing the protagonist's hands, which he thinks were born perfect. He says that if the protagonist were not born sick, he would have grown up like a "healthy man" , wearing a suit, mediating the business world, or shuttling between the political and social worlds. The protagonist says that he has been called "erin" by everyone since he was a child, but that he hates the heavens for making him sick. He tells the audience that he is painting when suddenly he has "some inspiration" . He asks the audience to stop crying and to buy him a present: a sky-blue instant camera.