Mr. Irvine Character Analysis in A Little Life

Mr. Irvine is Malcolm’s father. He’s demanding and highly critical. Mr. Irvine and Malcolm have never had a great relationship, and Malcolm has always known that his father favors Flora, Malcolm’s older sister. Mr. Irvine has a special affection and respect for Jude: like Jude, Mr. Irvine grew up in poverty and went on to become a highly successful and wealthy lawyer. At the beginning of the novel, it’s revealed that Malcolm turned down the opportunity to found a new architecture firm with his college friends to accept a position with Ratstar, a prominent (but corporate and soulless) architecture firm, just to impress Mr. Irvine. After Malcolm dies, Mr. Irvine pulls Jude aside to talk in private, and then he begins to weep as he asks Jude if Malcolm knew that he loved him. Jude wishes that it were Malcolm—not himself—who was there to experience this moment with Mr. Irvine.

Mr. Irvine Character Timeline in A Little Life

The timeline below shows where the character Mr. Irvine appears in A Little Life. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...looks forward to these secret Sunday visits, especially when he thinks of his friends’ parents: Malcolm’s father is highly intelligent and critical, and Malcolm’s mother is somewhat spacey. Willem’s parents are dead... (full context)

...the time. His parents had stopped by unannounced on Jude when Jude lived there, too. His father likes Jude—he thinks that of all Malcolm’s friends, Jude is the only one with “intellectual... (full context)

...who’s still living. The oldest, Britte, died of leukemia in Sweden when she was two. His father , an Icelandic man, had been working on a fish farm in Sweden when he... (full context)

...particularly connected to his Blackness. Blackness was a big part of his family’s personal narrative: Malcolm’s father had been one of the first Black CFOs of a major bank. Still, other parts... (full context)

...the Upper East Side tutoring a 12-year-old boy named Felix. Jude found the job through Malcolm’s father . But it’s spring break for Felix, who is on vacation with his family, so... (full context)

...recalls expressing his hesitations to Harold at Truro last summer. Harold had laughed. He, like Malcolm’s dad , saw the merits of settling down with a romantic partner, but he thinks it’s... (full context)

On their way out, Mr. Irvine pulled Jude aside and asked to talk to him. Jude agreed, and he and Mr.... (full context)

...the present, Jude arrives at the Irvines’ house. They have a short visit today, since Mr. Irvine isn’t feeling well. Then Jude goes to an expensive bakery and buys a loaf of... (full context)