Irony of Max and Kevin
Max and Kevin seem to be two halves of the same person--one possessing a robust body but a deeply troubled mind and spirit, the other a nearly indomitable spirit and an astounding intellect housed in a frail, sickly body. While both kids are alive neither of them was able to truly function well in the cruel world of their peers. Together however, there was nothing that they couldn’t achieve.
Irony of Max’s Father
Max’s most bitter, most painful, most deeply wounding experience of betrayal comes at the hands of a person who ought to have been the one person that he should have come to rely upon first: his own father. His father singlehandedly destroys both their family and a significant chunk of Max’s future by murdering his wife and mother of his child and getting significant jail time as a result of it. Rather than make up for it though he adds another layer of betrayal by kidnapping his son while out on parole. When Max starts going to school he is quickly associated with his father because he is a splitting image of his father--a known felon and convicted murderer.
Irony of the Truth
The truth is an ugly, painful matter but it must be bravely faced for any growth and/or development to happen. The ugly truth that Kevin, ironically, despite his brave, optimistic demeanor, refuses to face up to is the reality that he will die and die soon. He withholds this truth from his best friend all the way up to the very end of his days. It is also ironic that Max’s teachers also help to perpetuate this lie reasoning that he might not be able to adequately process or cope with the loss of his friend.
Irony of the “Life Well Lived”
Kevin did not live a very long life but he did live a rich life and left behind an equally rich legacy when he passed. The quality of a life therefore is not measured in the number of years on earth but determined by the quality of life lived and the legacy left behind when one passes away. Kevin leaves behind him memories of great joy and friendship for Max to reminisce over. More importantly he also leaves behind a legacy that enables Max to move forward: a newfound love for reading and writing that frees him from the self-imposed stigma that he is stupid.
Irony of Friendship
It is both tragically sad and tragically ironic that Max learns of how wonderful a deep and meaningful friendship is only to lose it later on because of Kevin’s passing. It is also sad and ironic that for the most part their friendship is rooted upon a lie--a lie that Kevin would recover and receive bionic legs that would allow him to achieve a modicum of normality.
