literary analysis
The main character (based on Albom's uncle, Edward Beitchman) Eddie is a man who died on his 83rd birthday while doing his job at a place called Ruby Pier. Ruby Pier is an amusement park where Eddie has been working all his life after his father died, as he had to take over in his father's place. Eddie's father worked at the pier many years before him. ironically, as a child, spending his summers at the pier working alongside his father, Eddie always shamed his father for working as a maintenance man at the amusement park. Eddie's father was a broken man, and usually mildly drunk. This was the main reason behind Eddie not having a very good relationship with his father, and the only bond they held was through working--
and the only time he got his father's approval was when his father saw his grease-stained hands, where he would then smile (pg.107.)
While Eddie is doing his job, a ride (called Freddie's Free Fall) gets suspended in the air (pgs.15-16) and he goes to investigate, and see what is wrong with the ride (a car key was lodged and ripped the cable wires.) As he is doing this, there are people on the ride, screaming and panicking. He notices that the cable is severed, and yells "GET BACK" to the entire crowd, while also telling his work partner, Dominguez, not to release the cart. While he is doing this, he hears a little girl, named Amy, or Annie (it was never disclosed, and that is how she was mentioned in the first chapter, page 18, and the epilogue) screaming, and that is when Eddie jumps to push Amy/Annie out of the way of a falling cart. He pushes her out of the way; however, he has stumbeled onto the platform, where he is now helpless, and the ride falls onto him.
This is where he dies, then go to heaven, where he meets five people, who either played a significant role in his life, or he has impacted theirs. Beginning with the "Blue Man", introduced on page 29, as a sideshow, who teaches him that all things happen for a reason (Wikipedia) And the last, Tala, (introduced on page 187) a young Filipino girl, whom he killed while blowtorching a village in the war. Who then teaches him that your life will sometimes end, so another person can live (Wikipedia.) The story ends in the epilogue, where Amy/Annie grows up, lives her life, then die and go to heaven, where Eddie will be one of the five people whom she meets, and is taught a lesson by, as he was taught.
and the only time he got his father's approval was when his father saw his grease-stained hands, where he would then smile (pg.107.)
While Eddie is doing his job, a ride (called Freddie's Free Fall) gets suspended in the air (pgs.15-16) and he goes to investigate, and see what is wrong with the ride (a car key was lodged and ripped the cable wires.) As he is doing this, there are people on the ride, screaming and panicking. He notices that the cable is severed, and yells "GET BACK" to the entire crowd, while also telling his work partner, Dominguez, not to release the cart. While he is doing this, he hears a little girl, named Amy, or Annie (it was never disclosed, and that is how she was mentioned in the first chapter, page 18, and the epilogue) screaming, and that is when Eddie jumps to push Amy/Annie out of the way of a falling cart. He pushes her out of the way; however, he has stumbeled onto the platform, where he is now helpless, and the ride falls onto him.
This is where he dies, then go to heaven, where he meets five people, who either played a significant role in his life, or he has impacted theirs. Beginning with the "Blue Man", introduced on page 29, as a sideshow, who teaches him that all things happen for a reason (Wikipedia) And the last, Tala, (introduced on page 187) a young Filipino girl, whom he killed while blowtorching a village in the war. Who then teaches him that your life will sometimes end, so another person can live (Wikipedia.) The story ends in the epilogue, where Amy/Annie grows up, lives her life, then die and go to heaven, where Eddie will be one of the five people whom she meets, and is taught a lesson by, as he was taught.