Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet In Heaven

Mitch Albom exploits the concept of time and use of reflective literary techniques in The Five People You Meet in Heaven to further the understanding that Eddie is the man he is because of his past experiences. Through exposure to past timeframes which portray essential parts of Eddie’s life, we are positioned to make connections, and to greaten our understanding of the complexity of life. Eddie’s fatherly nature, discontentment towards life, and attitude in welcoming death are all traits that we come to learn as products of his past life, exampled in his actions throughout the novel.
Eddie’s unconditional fatherly nature towards those depicted as inferior is a result of his flawed upbringing, particularly the lack of a fatherly figure in his own life. In the later stages of his adulthood, Eddie …show more content…
His role as the lead maintenance worker and the way in which he nurtures the rides is a powerful symbol of his sense of watchfulness, depicting him as the father of Ruby Pier. His encounter with Tala in heaven helps his own understanding of this, as she reveals his fate was to indirectly look after those younger than him through his care of the rides. ‘“Children,” she said. “You keep them safe. You make good for me … Is where you were supposed to be”’ (pg. 204). Such a love for others is better understood when viewed as an implication of Eddie’s upbringing and past experiences. As profiled in the setting of the diner in heaven, Eddie had a neglectful childhood; whilst his mother was compassionate, his father is