The climax first
The climax of the story is "left-dislocated" to the beginning of the book with the ironic effect that the book is specifically not dramatic. The situational irony of the book's fronting of the plot's climax ensures that the reader knows the point of the novel from the get-go. The novel is not shy about its purpose; it is a reflection on life and death showing that various ways of life among the characters all lead to the same fate. The climax is that the five people die who fall from a tall rope bridge in Mexico.
Maternal death
Without knowing it (dramatic irony) Maria pens an important letter to her daughter before dying. Although perhaps her intentions in writing the letter were different, the effect is that the letter is a kind of inheritance. The drama of Maria's story is contrasted with fatalistic beginning of the novel. She does not know that she is going to her death, but the reader does know that from the beginning. Her story is the first major tale after the beginning part about the rope bridge, so it is the primary experience of that dramatic irony before other tales continue that commentary.
Esteban's dramatic knowledge of death
Whereas Maria's maternal irony is mostly about the way she creates new life and then gives an inheritance, Esteban's focus is zeroed-in on death. His twin brother died, making a powerful symbol of life and death, but that tension is resolved ironically in Esteban's own death. He is unable to process death, and drives himself to suicidal madness before conquering his deathly temptations, but the reward for his restored desire for life is the same fate as his brother's—he dies randomly and tragically.
Religion and irony
Religion provides the frame and spinal column of this novel's plot, because the survivors of the death are mainly monks and abbesses, and through their insight, the reader sees death as a major catalyst of religious thought. Religion is ironic because it speculates about what is technically not known. The monk's fierce opinion about fatalism and the absolute sovereignty of God is itself highly ironic because it makes the reader contemplate why God would choose to exercise his authority in such a painful and tragic way.
The role of service
Service makes a strong appearance as a major theme of the novel. Instead of coming to the existential and mystic conclusions of absurdism, this novel correctly identifies the absurd nature of human life and death, but then turns the reader on their head. Some people prefer a kind of hedonism because of their existential dread, but characters like the Abbess and Clara turn to lives of self-sacrifice and service to the needy. The argument formed is like this: If life is technically meaningless, why not exhaust one's self in the service of others? This means using absurdism as a fuel for love, which is ironic.
