Tuesdays With Morrie

Tuesdays With Morrie

Tuesdays With Morrie is a true novel based upon an older dying man's

outlook on life. Throughout the story, the older man teaches his past

student about life as his body is slowly withering away from the " Lou

Gehrig's Disease."

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: Morrie Schwartz (the older man) teaches his student,

Mitch Albom, what really matters in life. The only way that I can begin to

describe Morrie's character, is to quote an excerpt from pg. 10 regarding his

reaction after being diagnosed:

" But my old professor had a profound decision, one he began to construct

the day he came out of the doctor's office with a sword hanging over his

head. Do I wither up and disappear, or do I make the best of my time left?

He asked himself. He would not wither. He would not be ashamed of dying.

Instead he would make death his final project, the center point of his days.

Since everyone was going to die, he could be of great value, right? He could

be research. A human textbook. Study me in my slow and patient demise.

Watch what happens to me. Learn with me. Morrie would walk that final

bridge between life and death, and narrate the trip."

Based on his decision not to wither up and die, and instead use his

dying, as an opportunity to teach others what truly matters in life, shows

how unselfish and positive he really was. Morrie didn't see his time spent

ill as a waste, instead, he said, and I quote, " I mourn my dwindling time,

but I cherish the chance it gives me to make things right." (Pg. 167) As a

way to further carry out Morrie's wish to be useful, both Morrie and Mitch

decided to meet every Tuesday to study and discuss life's greatest lessons.

Not only do we see evidence of Morrie's character, we also see a change in

Mitch and his values. With Morrie as a guide, Mitch begins to understand

that money, and materialistic wealth, have less significance than things such

as relationships, forgiveness, and love.

IMAGERY: An excerpt from the book, which related to imagery, was what

Morrie referred to as detachment.