The Five People You Meet In Heaven

Contents

TOC o “1-3” h z u HYPERLINK l “_Toc380293392” Introduction PAGEREF _Toc380293392 h 1

HYPERLINK l “_Toc380293393” Characterization PAGEREF _Toc380293393 h 1

HYPERLINK l “_Toc380293394” The setting and plot PAGEREF _Toc380293394 h 2

HYPERLINK l “_Toc380293395” Plot summary and Moral Lessons PAGEREF _Toc380293395 h 3

HYPERLINK l “_Toc380293396” Relationship between the movie version and book version PAGEREF _Toc380293396 h 4

Introduction

Humanity has been concerned about passing lessons from one generation to another throughout its history. Varied strategies for accomplishing this have been devised. However, one of the most commonly used strategies in the history of mankind is the use of stories, as is the case with “The Five People You Meet in Heaven”. This story, written by Mitch Albom, revolves around an overarching theme that no act in this life can be termed as accidental or random.

CharacterizationThe story comes with a number of key characters.

Eddie is the main protagonist in the story. He dies on his 83rd birthday and rises up in heaven where he meets five individuals whose lives he discovers are interconnected with his in more ways than he would have expected.

The Blue Man- Also known as Joseph Colvelzchik, this is the first person that Eddie meets in heaven. The Blue Man had died of a heart attack as he swerved his car so as to avoid hitting the young Eddie who had run in the street to get his ball.

The Captain- this was Eddie’s commanding officer in the army. While recounting the events that occurred in the war, the captain teaches Eddie the importance of making sacrifices so as to save lives.

Ruby- this is the third person that Eddie meets in heaven. She turns out to be the woman after whom Ruby Pier was named. She teaches Eddie of the importance of forgiveness and releasing one’s anger.

Marguerite- this is the Eddie’s wife, the fourth person that she meets in heaven. She had died in her forties. On meeting in heaven, the two enjoy a number of weddings that are being held, which teaches Eddie that love does not end even with death.

Tala: this is the fifth person that Eddie meets in heaven. She is a young Filipina girl that Eddie sights in a hut razed down by fire. Her cinnamon complexion, flat nose, dark hair, gapped teeth, full lips and arresting eyes captivate Eddie.

Nicky: This is a young man who had visited Ruby Pier and is seen as the key reason for the death of Eddie. A great grandson to Ruby, Nicky had caused the gears of Freddy’s Free Fall ride to jam and snapped its cable after dropping car keys in it.

While these are the key characters, there are other supporting characters such as Eddie’s parents, a family friend named Mickey Shea, a coworker named Dominguez, Willie, Amy and Emile.

The setting and plotThe story takes place in varied locations as Eddie meets different people in heaven and recounts varied events in his life on earth. Eddie had been brought up close to the Ruby Pier where his father worked. In essence, Ruby Pier is a crucial setting for his flashbacks to his childhood. It is worth noting that Ruby Pier was not only the place where his dad worked, but also where he ended up working as a maintenance man, and even met his death on his birthday.

On the same note, the bulk of the story is set in heaven, which is also the place where Eddie is taught the five lessons in varied settings (Albom, 2003). These are the Ruby Pier close to which he had grown up, the battlefields where he had fought during his time in the army, the mountains, as well as different wedding receptions, not to mention a river.

Plot summary and Moral LessonsOnce Eddie awakens in heaven, he meets the Blue Man, who he initially does not recognize. It turns out that that the Blue Man had crashed his car as he tried to prevent himself from hitting the young Eddie. This teaches Eddie that there is not action in life that is accidental or random.

Next, he meets The Captain in the Philippians battlefield where they had fought during WW2. The captain discloses to him that he had shot Eddie in the leg so as to save his life (Albom, 2003). On the same note, the captain died while testing a field for mines ahead of his troops. This teaches Eddy about the importance of self-sacrifice in an effort to save other people’s lives.

At the third scene, Eddie meets Ruby, after whom Eddie discovers Ruby Pier was named as a tribute by her husband Emile whom she had saved from a fire. Ruby had picked the diner as that was the place where they had met with her husband and she wanted it to be a refuge for individuals hurt by the Ruby Pier (Albom, 2003). Also at the diner was Eddie’s father who had been extremely abusive and harsh to Eddie in his childhood. At this stage, Eddie learns how to let go of his resentment, as well as forgive his dad for the hurt.

Next, Eddie meets his wife Marguerite after going through varied wedding receptions from varied cultures. While he never liked such occasions, Eddie and his wife walk through the receptions, which underlines the power of love and teaches him that not even death can spell an end to love (Albom, 2003).

The last scene in which Eddie finds himself is by a river where numerous children play together. This place is devoid of authority or adults and teaches him of the meaning of his career and life, which was to protect children.

Relationship between the movie version and book versionThis story has also been produced in movie version. As much as the story line is the same, the depiction of the scenes is different, which complements the story. The flashbacks are more real in the movie and allows the viewer to identify with the story more.

In conclusion, “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” is a story of an amusement park mechanic named Eddie who dies on his 83rd birthday as he attempts to save a young girl. While it presents varied scenes each with its own lessons, the overriding theme and lesson in the story is that no action in anybody’s life is accidental or random as the lives and events in people’s lives are interconnected.

References

Albom, M. (2003). The five people you meet in heaven. New York: Hyperion.