Mrs. Irvine Character Analysis in A Little Life

Mrs. Irvine is Malcolm’s mother. She runs a literary agency. Mrs. Irvine is more affectionate with Malcolm than Mr. Irvine is, but she can be somewhat distracted. Mrs. Irvine sees how Mr. Irvine’s preference for Flora hurts Malcolm and tries to convince him that it doesn’t mean anything, but her reassurance doesn’t do much to make Malcolm feel any better. Mrs. Irvine and Mr. Irvine are wealthy and let Malcolm continue to live with them while Malcolm gets his career off the ground, but they demand a lot of attention, and Malcolm can’t wait until he can afford to move out.

Mrs. Irvine Character Timeline in A Little Life

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

...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 and Jude’s parents are “nonexistent”; his childhood was... (full context)

...of a major bank. Still, other parts of their identity were more distinct than Blackness— Malcolm’s mother ’s importance in the New York literary scene, for instance, or Malcolm’s father’s wealth. So,... (full context)

...and Jude arrived at the Irvines’ together. The Irvines served all of Malcolm’s favorite foods. Mrs. Irvine suggested that everyone share a favorite memory of Malcolm. JB told a story about breaking... (full context)