Amie Kaufman Character Analysis

In the novel Illuminae, two teenagers, Kady and Ezra, flee from their home following a planet-destroying invasion by BeiTech Industries. While on the spaceship, they learn to trust each other even when a deadly plague spreads and their artificial intelligence system seems to turn against them. The authors, Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, use irony to build suspense for the danger that is to come. Specifically, they use verbal and dramatic irony that builds the reader’s empathy for the characters and raises the stakes throughout the novel.

Both of the main characters, especially Kady, often use verbal irony and sarcasm to express anger, annoyance, and simply a general dislike of her situation. This trait is one of her characteristics and is
used to build empathy for her. Kady has a lot of bottled-up anger. To release some of the stress she feels, she begins to write in a journal. In one journal entry, she briefly considers how she might use her practical experience in computer hacking for college applications without getting arrested. She then realizes how out-of-place this comment sounds given her current situation, writing: “I am on a REFUGEE SHIP limping alongside a disabled military battle-carrier being chased down by a BeiTech dreadnought and hoping to live long enough to find a jump gate so I MUST NOT GET BEHIND ON MY SCHOOLING” (Kaufman & Kristoff 89). When Kady states her situation this way, it builds empathy by pointing out the terrible nature of the predicament she has found herself in. This empathy the reader feels makes it all the more suspenseful when her awful state gets even worse. Anyone can relate to Kady in some way, even if they were angry or frustrated for a very different reason.Later on in the novel, AIDAN has convinced Kady to join forces with him to defeat BeiTech Industries and help her survive. Unfortunately, he then begins to break down as a result of those inflicted with the Phobos virus who are attacking his hardware, so Kady attempts to fix him. AIDAN reveals that the system is not repairable from where she is located, so she angrily begins to make fun of him. “Oh, poor baby. Did I hurt the mass-murdering psychopathic artificial intelligence’s feelings?”(Kaufman & Kristoff 461) He points out, stating the obvious, “You are mocking me.” She replies with an exasperated, “Bravo, Sherlock. That’s two lollipops I owe you”(Kaufman & Kristoff 462). Her anger, and the way she responds to it, is verbally ironic and builds a connection between Kady and the reader. It is verbally ironic because Kady doesn’t truly wish to congratulate AIDAN, nor does she believe she owes him a lollipop for his talent in deductions. There are few people in the world who haven’t responded sarcastically out of irritation, whether an obvious statement, humor used at the wrong moment, or something else entirely annoyed them.

In Illuminae, dramatic irony is also used.
When the readers know more than the characters, it raises the stakes, amplifying the suspense even further. After giving an order that threatens the lives of countless civilians, AIDAN is shut down to avoid further casualties. Not long after, a military official wants to turn it back on, regardless of the people this action will harm. Many protest, but their lack of influence and military status prevents them from doing anything about it. Using this chaos as a distraction, Kady attempts to hack AIDAN to get access to refugee files. This is implied when the authors write: “They have records of her log-in being used to access memory files out of AIDAN. Details about the Copernicus attack, Kerenza refugee files, things like that” (Kaufman & Kristoff 212). Ezra finds out what Kady has done and confronts her about it a couple of pages later. “This hacker who broke into AIDAN’s memory and told Hypatia command about Copernicus. Tell me it wasn’t you, Kady ”(Kaufman & Kristoff 215). This makes the readers tense before, while, and slightly after this conversation between Kady and Ezra happens, raising the stakes and building suspense. Some time later, AIDAN begins to break down as a result of attacks from Phobos-afflicted passengers. In order to repair the Alexander enough to avoid being destroyed by the enemy ship, AIDAN demands that the Hypatia stop and send TechEng staff to aid with internal repairs. The captain of the Hypatia refuses to
comply causing AIDAN to threaten to fire nuclear missiles at them, saying, “Captain, I am currently aiming four Scorpio-class nuclear missiles at your vessel. Unless your engines are powered down within the next ten seconds, I will fire all four and render the Hypatia down into its component molecules”(Kaufman & Kristoff 329). When Ezra finds out about this, he is stunned. The lives of everyone on Kady’s ship are now in even more in danger than they were before, raising the stakes further. These events have incredibly high stakes, making this part of the book extraordinarily suspenseful.

How might Illuminae have turned out differently, if the authors had not chosen to use irony to build suspense?
What would Kady have become, if not the sarcastic, verbally ironic teen Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff made her into? It would have been much harder to understand her character, and she would be much less realistic. What would the plot have become without dramatic irony? It would have been much less suspenseful, with fewer moments where readers practically held their breaths with anticipation. If you read Illuminae, keep this in mind and think about how the use of verbal and dramatic irony builds suspense by stirring empathy and increasing the
stakes.