Cold mother
While Cal is described as being someone who would go to great lengths to make sure that his son is in good health and that his emotional needs are taken care of, Beth is described as being the complete opposite. She suggests that they do things that will impact her son in a negative way, claiming that they will not, and refuses to accept responsibility for what happened to her son. In many ways, Beth is more interested in her well-being than in her son’s. This fact is presented as being ironic, because as a mother, she should have want to make sure that her son is taken care of and that his emotional needs are satisfied. Instead of doing that, she becomes distant and selfish.
Not so calming
In the normal circumstances, alcohol would calm a person and make it be comfortable and at ease. When Cal and Beth went to the dinner party held by one of their neighbors, Cal had too much to drink and became tense. This is presented as being ironic, when also taking into consideration how Cal was unable to fall asleep even though he was extremely drunk.
Wanting to help
As a way of dealing with his problems and anxieties, Conrad expresses interest in others and tries to help them in what way he can, by helping them with their schoolwork or by simply being there for them. Ironically, while his intentions are good and while he wants nothing else but to help them, those around him either misinterpret his actions or make fool of him for trying, actions that only make Conrad feel even worst.
The perfect woman
An idea that appears time and time again is the fact that Beth is seen by many as being the perfect woman. Cal is told by his business partners and also by their wives that they appreciate Beth’s calmness and her cool attitude and they wished they could be the same. Ironically, those words were far from being the truth as Cal thinks about his relationship with Beth. It soon becomes clear that while Beth seems composed and calm from the outside, she is anything but that in private. For Cal, Beth’s attitude is not a positive aspect but rather a negative one because he feels frustrated when she doesn’t get as involved as he does in matters regarding their family.
What will the others say?
In the 13th chapter, Beth and Cal find about Conrad’s decision to quit the swimming team. Unfortunately, they find about the news form the mother of one of Conrad’s former team mates, an event that makes Beth angry. However, the reason why she is angry is ironical considering the circumstances. While Cal was disappointed because he felt like Conrad did not trusted them enough to share that information with them, Beth was disappointed because she was humiliated when another person knew personal information about her son. For her, what was important was not Conrad’s well-being or the reason why he chose to keep that decision for himself, but the fact that the woman who told her about Conrad made her feel incapable.
