Irony of Addie’s deal
Addie agrees to make a deal with the god of darkness, decides to trade her soul for time and a life of freedom. She is not aware of the consequences of the pact, and doesn’t realize that freedom and time can be interpreted in many ways. The god of darkness gives her infinite time, but erases her completely out of everyone’s memory-his interpretation of freedom. The irony of Addie’s deal lies in her naïve unawareness of the cunning nature of the god of darkness and the gravity of the price she has to pay.
Irony of Henry’s deal
Similar to Addie’s, but yet with opposite consequences, Henry’s deal with the devil comes in a time of desperation and during the time he wants his life to end. Not believing in the existence of the soul, he foolishly trades it for a year of love. Where Addie’s deal lies in her invisibility, Henry’s is the exact opposite-he is seen (or a desired version of him) wherever he goes. The irony of Henry’s deal lies in the nonchalance of his decision-making, without consideration for possible consequences.
Irony of Luc
Luc, the devil, the god of darkness, is a complicated character in the novel. He is darkness itself, yet he is personified through Addie’s desired version of a man. His growing fondness for Addie is unexpected and unlikely for that of what he represents. The irony of Luc lies in his paradoxical nature-he is a god, an entity, yet is shown to possess human traits like anger, childishness, possessiveness and ability to love.
Irony of the relationship between Addie and Henry
Addie and Henry believe their connection, their visibility to each other to be a lucky chance, a loophole in Luc’s plans. But, the ending reveals that even that was actually a part of Luc’s plan. He wanted to give Addie what she wanted-a chance to be seen and remembered by someone, even if it’s only for a year which is his twisted version of his love towards her. The irony of Henry and Addie together lies in their naïve belief that they could have outsmarted the darkness itself.
