Irony of Caden's death
During the film, we hear the quote:
“We're all hurtling towards death. Yet here we are, for the moment, alive. Each of us knowing we're going to die. Each of us secretly believing we won't.”
This is ironic because Caden suddenly dies at the end of the film.
Fiction and reality
This film is partly about the blurring of the line between fiction and reality, and the dangers of this. Ironically, the film itself also blurs the line between reality and fiction.
Synecdoche
A synecdoche is when a part of something is made to represent a whole and this is ironic as Caden's play is intended to represent life as a whole.
Illness
Caden suffers from a physical illness which causes him considerable pain and is often his focus. However, he is less focused on his spiritual and psychological illness, which ultimately leads to his downfall.
Caden's play
Caden devotes his entire life to creating his play, but ironically takes so long to complete it that he dies before an audience is able to see it.
