Tuesdays with Morrie Analysis
Albom uses a causal plot in Tuesdays with Morrie. He occasionally uses flashbacks to refer to his early days when he was in childhood. This technique is used to give the reader some background of his character when in college. The exposition in our plot occurs within the first four chapters of the book. The first chapter informs us that a dying teacher would teach a class about the meaning of life. The book’s author also notifies the reader that he was the student in the book. The second chapter also gives us some background information about Morrie Schwartz. Some of the information obtained was that Morrie, a teacher who loved to dance, had been diagnosed with ASL. The third chapter provides some background information about Mitch Albom, the author, and the student in the book. Mitch was a highly successful reporter who worked for Detroit Free Press. The following chapters then move the reader to the rising action of the book. In this text, the action begins to rise when Mitch sees Morrie’s feature in the show Nightline, after which the two start to meet every Tuesday for classes on life. The rising action builds up to the conflict in the story and the climax. The climax of this story occurs when Mitch and Morrie meet for the last time on one Tuesday. During that meeting, the two show their more vulnerable sides and display affection by crying and hugging each other. The falling action takes over shortly after the climax when Morrie dies, and Mitch attends his funeral. The resolution marks the end of the story and plot. This occurs after Morrie’s funeral when Mitch adopts a new outlook of life and rekindles his relationship with his ill brother.
The story is told from the first-person point of view. The narrator, who is also the author, and the main character contributes to the story and provides a personal perspective of all the other characters included in the text. One can, however, argue that since the story is told in the first person, the narrator may not provide the objective truth of the story. The first person also provides a limited perspective since it only provides information from a single source.
Character development in the text has been achieved by using flashbacks. Mitch, the book’s main character, goes through significant character development. The flashbacks in the book’s first chapters portray Mitch as a naïve and less materialistic individual looking to achieve his dream in music. The death of his uncle, however, changes him as he abandoned his musical career for journalism. He grows to become a highly successful journalist. He, however, prioritizes materialism and his career, which has taken over his life. He also finds it difficult to start a family with his wife. Mitch, however, experienced further character development when he starts to meet Morrie, who teaches him about life. After these classes, Mitch becomes less materialistic, embraces his emotions, and starts to rekindle past relationships.
The text presents various themes. Death is among the themes in the book. The book’s author uses Morrie to explore the theme of death. When Morrie was diagnosed with ASL, he automatically knew that death was approaching. The knowledge that death is approaching can cause some to lose hope. For others, however, death serves as a wake-up call for them to identify the most important things in life. Despite the knowledge that death was approaching, Morrie never lost hope or gave up. He instead decided to take the time he had left to do something worthwhile with his life. He achieves this objective when he educates Mitch and changes his outlook on life. The other theme brought out in the text is love. During his classes, Morrie teaches Mitch about the essence and importance of love. “The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love and to let it come in” (p. 52). In addition to love and death, the text also explores the theme of family. Morrie explains that family is a crucial element that contributes to the wholesome growth of a child. Family also contributes to a better quality of life.
The book’s author also uses different symbols in the film. One of the symbols used is the pink hibiscus plant. The plant’s gradual death symbolized Morrie’s deteriorating health. As the plant grew weaker, Morrie’s health also deteriorated as he grew more dependent on his aid and oxygen supply. Morrie’s bed is also used to symbolize death. Morrie refuses to spend the time he has left in bed. He explains that lying in bed would deny the opportunity to make the most out of the time he had left. He instead chose to spend the time remaining in his study where he can enjoy simple pleasures.