🧠 Food for Thought - Cosmic Irony: Happy Death Day.
- John Maurice Otieno
- Jun 2
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 24
You ever find yourself in a situation so ridiculous, you think the universe, or some cosmic or higher power, is having a laugh? Maybe you've witnessed someone else go through such an experience.
That's cosmic irony and you can find it in all forms of literary work, not least of which is the 2017 slasher hit: Happy Death Day. When the lead, Theresa (Tree), finds herself inexplicably stuck in a bizarre time loop, cosmic irony plays out. But how, exactly? What is cosmic irony? Let's get into it.
As always, spoiler alert! And remember, details matter.
What is Cosmic Irony?
According to Dabble Writer, cosmic irony occurs when an unseen force or higher power creates an outcome that’s different from - or the opposite of - what you'd expect. This is otherwise known as irony of fate and can either be actual or inferred.
Uses of Cosmic Irony.
Studiobinder explains the presence of cosmic irony in different works of art serves different purposes:
Humor: The cosmos meddling in a character's fate can serve up comic relief. Tree being stuck in a time loop means certain activities are bound to be hilarious, or even more so, as they recur.
It gets funnier and funnier every time Carter's roommate walks in yelling, "Dude, did you hit that fine vagine or wha..?"
Similarly, every time the power goes out and we hear Danielle in the dark go, "Our tuition dollars at work."
Character Growth: Pushing a character into learning a valuable lesson is a common use of cosmic irony. When Carter tries to help Tree solve her own murder and she has to name people with motive to kill her, the list is endless. Off the look Carter gives her, she responds, "What? Nobody's perfect," but there's not being perfect, and then there's this! She's not a very nice person and perhaps that's why she ends up being stuck in this time loop. "You relive the same day over and over again, you kind of start to see who you really are," she later tells Carter. It's like the universe conspires to teach her a lesson and gives her 7, 8, 9... however many chances to learn it, and she eventually does. She finally meets her dad for lunch, sees the value in her roommate (ironically), and stops seeing guys who are no good for her and chooses the guy who is (Carter). You'd imagine that's what her mom would've wanted for her.
Exploring Humanity: Cosmic irony can be a powerful tool for exploring humanity-related themes and delivering astute commentary on the human race itself. Happy Death Day explores the complex human nature. In the beginning, Tree comes off as - in Danielle's words - a "sneaky little beyatch", ghosting guys she goes out with, taking her roommate for granted, sleeping with her married professor and standing her dad up for their lunch date. But the more we get to know her, and realise she's grieving the loss of her mother, the more we understand her actions. We may not agree with them, but we understand where she's coming from.
Creating Cosmic Irony Via Other Literary Devices.
These can include:
Foreshadowing: Insight into a character's fate can effectively establish cosmic irony as they attempt to maneuver their destiny.
Right from the off, the animated theme of the Universal logo restarts twice, foreshadowing time loop in the movie.
After the first time she dies, Tree notices a sticker on Carter's door that reads: "Today is the first day of the rest of your life." Subtle, huh? It pre-empts her being stuck in this day basically forever if she doesn't find a way to exit the time loop.
Symbolism: This can help insinuate the presence of looming higher powers or cosmic forces. In Happy Death Day, it's little hints sprinkled here and there. Like Tree's ringtone going off just before she runs into her roomie at the University Hospital, a glimpse of the "Go Baby Go!!!" school mascot banner right before the killer shows up wearing a baby mask, or even the power glitching as Danielle drops her iconic "Our tuition dollars at work" line.
Metaphor: Comparing two unrelated things as the same is a great way to not only paint a more vivid scene but also present things in a specific light. The way I see it, Tree dying over and over again is a metaphor for her purging her bad habits. Everytime she dies, she learns a lesson and comes back a better person for it. By the time she exits the time loop, her transformation's complete.
Pitfalls to Avoid When Creating Cosmic Irony.
Don't:
Use Irony for Irony’s Sake: The subversion has to serve a purpose in the plot for effective storytelling. Tree gets stuck in a time loop on her birthday, a birthday she shares with her late mom. Though painful, it's like she gets stuck in this day to help her grieve and heal.
Overexplain The Higher Power: Less is more. Whatever force or power that traps Tree in a time loop is never explicitly explained.
Create Passive Characters: Just because their fate might be out of their hands doesn't mean you can't have active characters driving the plot. Indeed, it could be their actions that lead to the ironic outcome. Tree actively tries to fight her fate and exit the time loop. In one iteration, she locks herself in her room to keep the killer out. Ironically, that's what leads to her death as she locks the killer in with her.
The Nutshell.
In a nutshell, cosmic irony is a powerful tool storytellers can use for humor, navigating effective character arcs and exploring crucial themes on humanity. In Happy Death Day, Tree wishes for one thing for her birthday: tomorrow. Carter then asks her, "Isn't that kind of a given?" But is it though? It's the things we sometimes take for granted, like tomorrow, that cosmic irony can help highlight when used effectively.
So, what does cosmic irony mean to you? Do you love the use of the literary device in stories? Food for thought 🧠
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