Ethan's ironic skill
Although this story is about a hero, and although the hero is a skilled player in a game, one might assume that he's probably pretty good, but actually, he is one of the worst players on his team, maybe even the worst who ever lived. By making Ethan ironically incompetent at Baseball, it makes it clear what part of Baseball helps him succeed in life—It is not his performance, but his passion for the sport.
The irony of animal evil
Is an animal evil for killing another animal and eating it? They are programmed for it. Perhaps that's why in Ethan's epic poetry, the Coyote is his 'Satan,' because there are aspects of his animal nature that feel programmed into him that is not actually helpful. By working through his negativity and confusion, Ethan clarifies his love for Baseball, something a coyote doesn't understand. There are higher instincts than the predatory ones, it seems.
The irony of mixed worlds
When Ethan's story crosses paths with Cutbelly, he is invited into a sublime world that runs parallel to his own life on earth. This "underworld" is different in nature, because in one place it rains, and in the other it never rains. The irony between the sublime and the obvious is explored by explaining how Baseball is similar to defeating Satan, which is ironic because the two seem perfectly unrelated.
The irony of death
This novel is also predicated on an unfortunate and ironic situation where Ethan is left motherless, because death takes her before her time. Ironically, there is nothing that Ethan could gain that would help him with that frustration, because his mother was the source of the very emotions that he would have used to mourn her. Without her love and support, he is forced to depend on his own love and support.
The irony of island life
There is a clear metaphor for mourning. Because he and his father lose the family mother, they find themselves on an island, which looks like a metaphor for loneliness. They are lonely, but they are together there. Even on an island, they are surrounded by people, and they depend on others to heal and become reintegrated into normal daily life. Therefore, the island corresponds to their emotional isolation, but they are not really alone after all. They have each other, and they have the love of a community.
