The Five People You Meet In Heaven Conflict

This novel starts at the end and details the protagonist’s journey through Heaven. He meets five people who had relations with him and seeks answers about his final moments on earth. Characters involved in this book tell an interesting story about an underlying theme. The novel, “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” by Mitch Albom, is examined. In this novel, the setting of Ruby Pier, character conflicts and story themes all demonstrate how lives are connected. The admirably, historic setting of Ruby Pier relate an abundance of characters. For example, Ruby, wife of the park owner, was connected to Eddie’s life, even though she had never met him. Ruby’s connection was her own husband building the park, hence the name, “Ruby’s Pier”, as it

Eddie’s conflict with his father from drunk actions and ignorance led Eddie to hate his father. However, Eddie learns of a conflict his father faced when Eddie’s father’s friend, Mickey Shea, tries to abuse his wife. With loyalty, Eddie’s father tried to save Mickey but ended up dying of pneumonia the next day. “His body had been weakened...in time, he died.” said Ruby, on pg.138. Eddie was left to support his mother and brother with his father’s job. For this, Eddie had resented his father and Eddie learned of a deeper conflict that his father had faced. This affixes Mickey Shea with Eddie’s father death and also with Eddie being ‘stuck’ with his father's job. Another conflict was with the Captain. The captain had shot Eddie’s leg to save him from a burning wreckage of a hut. With a permanently wounded leg, Eddie felt as if his life was meaningless and worthless. He couldn’t travel or do many other tasks because his leg had “weighed him down”. Eddie felt that he did not accomplish anything in his life. As such, Eddie experienced inner conflict with himself, which was linked to the Captain who had sacrificed his own life for Eddie. Finally, Eddie experiences conflict with himself when he thinks he sees a child’s shadow inside the burning hut when Eddie was captured by Philippians. He faces years of agony and guilt as he thought he had killed an innocent child. Eddie met his last person, he

The theme of sacrifice from the Captain further proves the original point of lives being connected. When Eddie escaped the Philippians prison, him and his army unit burned the village and Eddie had seen a shadow in the fiery hut. He was determined to save this figure and had almost died walking into the fire, when the Captain shot his leg. Later, as Eddie goes to his second person in Heaven, the Captain explains sacrifice to Eddie. “You made one, I made one, We all made one.” said the captain, on page 54. The Captain’s sacrifice was his own life to get Eddie and his army unit safely home. This theme consociates the members of Eddie’s unit, Willingham, Morton and Smitty to the Captain’s sacrifice and promise to bring Eddie’s unit as a whole, safely home. The theme of love between Eddie and Marguerite, Eddie’s wife, is also an example of how lives are united. When Marguerite was involved in the car accident, the cause was her’s and Eddie’s argument on Eddie’s birthday. It had caused Marguerite to feel regretful that she had shouted at Eddie on his birthday for spending all his money with Noel, when he was betting on horses at the track. Furthermore, the hospital fees involving the car accident had costed Eddie and Marguerite to have no money for the adoption of a child. “The unspoken blame for this never found a resting place… simply… moved like a shadow from husband to wife.” the narrator said on page 95.