The accident
The teens in this novel are paradoxical characters. When they go out to party, they get drunk, but some still can make the right judgment. Ironically, one of the drunken teens suggests they all get into the car so that he can drive them home, and they all agree. Shortly after starting their journey, they all get involved in an accident and die instantly. The irony is that the teens know that drunk driving is illegal, but they decide to undertake the risk, claiming all their lives.
Waldo brings up bad old memories.
Dr. Wilf has done everything possible in his life to forget about the accident that took place on Division Street several years ago. In fact, the reader learns that Dr. Wilf has healed from the incident. Ironically, the scars of the incident are opened when Waldo visits Dr. Wilf and starts asking questions about the accident and the teens who died instantly. Dr. Wilf's bad memories return, and he cannot control his emotions.
The irony of life
Life is the most paradoxical element in the Signal Fires novel. When the teens go out to drink, they intend to have fun, enjoy themselves and return home to continue their daily lives. Ironically, the teens do not return home alive because they are killed in a nasty road accident. Therefore, life's unpredictability emerges as the novel's main irony.
