Characters in the novel

Describe the main character of the text you have studied and analyse his relationship with at least two other characters.

In the novel, "The five people you meet in heaven," by Mitch Albom, the main character is a selfless 83 year old man named Eddie. Eddie works as a maintenance man at the Ruby Pier amusement park, fixing all the rides and looking after the young children. Eddie's wife Marguerite died at a young age of cancer, and the couple had no children. They were hoping to adopt a child, but this dream was shattered after Marguerite was involved in a car accident. Eddie went to war at a young age out of a sense of duty, and this affected him for the rest of his life as he was shot in the leg to save him from death. Before going to war, Eddie always aspired to become an engineer, which never happened.

Eddie was always disappointed with his life, and felt that it was worthless and that he had achieved nothing worthwhile - "For all that time, Eddie had imagined a certain life - a 'could have been' life - that would have been his if not for his father's death and his mother's subsequent collapse. Over the years, he glorified that imaginary life and held his father accountable for all of its losses: the loss of freedom, the loss of career, the loss of hope. He never rose above the dirty, tiresome work his father had left behind". Eddie's father was a gambler who liked to drink and play cards. He was also violent and abusive towards his wife and children. Eddie never had a close relationship with his father, even as a young child, and it was his worst fear in life that he would end up just like his father. Eddie's father also worked as a maintenance man at Ruby Pier, and Eddie took over the job after his father passed away. However, through all of the struggles Eddie faces with his father, he finally learns in heaven that "holding anger is a poison", and that he needs to understand why he felt anger towards his father and forgive him, so that he can continue on in his journey in the 'afterlife'.

Another person who plays an important part in Eddie's life is the young Asian girl Tala, who dies during the war in which Eddie is serving. While fighting in the Phillipines, Eddie had seen what he thought was a person inside a hut. He was going to go and get them out, but he was stopped by the Captain shooting him in the leg. Just moments later, there is an explosion in the hut. When he meets Tala in heaven, Eddie says to her, "I was sad because I didn't do anything with my life. I ws nothing. I accomplished nothing. I was lost. I felt like I wasn't supposed to be there". Tala replies by telling him that he was meant to spend his life at Ruby Pier fixing the rides, because he kept the children safe, which made good for what happened to her during the war.

Eddie's wife Marguerite also teaches him and important lesson when he meets her again in heaven. After her death, Eddie felt there was no longer any reason for living, because he no longer had the only person he loved with him. He felt angry because she had been taken from him too soon. Marguerite tells him, "Lost love is still love, Eddie. It takes a different form, that's all....Life has to end...Love doesn't". This is probably my favourite lesson that Eddie learns in the novel, because I think that it is important and relevant to us all. It teaches us that just because someone is no longer with us, we don't have to stop loving them or caring for them. Every one loves someone in their life, even just a family member, and without love, the world would be a horrible place to live.

In conclusion, I feel that Eddie may not have been the most social character ever, but the few people who he was 'friendly' with all held a very special significance in hi life in some way or another. I feel that he was a strong character because of the obstacles he overcame in his lifetime, and these people all helped him to do this.