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
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
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