Life Saver
The novel begins on a note of certainty that turns gruesomely ironic. Annie Wilkes is ferocious in her effort to save the life of Paul Sheldon following his car crash. Ultimately, of course, she will become a very real threat to that life as Paul barely manages to escape her clutches with his mind and body intact.
Narrative Irony
The overarching irony of the story runs so deeply that even Paul himself must openly admit it. “The irony was that the woman had coerced him into writing what was easily the best of the Misery novels.” When Paul first meets Annie he is extremely happy to put his series of Misery novels behind him and never revisit the character or the genre. The irony of doing exactly the opposite is intensified by the misery which Paul himself had to undergo in order to write the best book of the series.
Effing Irony
One of the ironic contradictions about her that makes Annie such a memorable character is the dissonance between her social conservatism and her bloodlust. Annie infamously voices G-rated substitutions for profanity and seems to do so for reasons having to do with morality or, at least, old-fashioned social conventions. At the same time that demonstrates control over language she reveals very little control—or even desire for control—over her most violent instincts she considers necessary to get what she wants.
The Laughing Place
Annie tells Paul about a spot she likes to go to which she has all to herself. There is sign over the door which officially canonizes her term for the location: Annie’s Laughing Place. Laughing is usually associated with humor and good times but Annie admits that although she does sometimes actually laugh there, mostly she just screams. When she heads off to her visit her special place she leaves Paul alone inside her empty house so that “Paul Sheldon’s Laughing Place sounded like the padded cell of a madman.” The ironic counterpoint of both laughing places being a site for dread, anxiety, and primal screaming is thus intensified.
Number One Fan
Throughout the book Annie is directly referenced by both characters as being Paul’s number one fan. Although meeting their number one fan might not necessarily be a good thing that most celebrities look forward to, that reluctance is usually limited to how Annie initially treats Paul. Once she begins torturing him physically, emotionally, mentally and even professionally, however, the references to her being his number one fan serve only as irony.
