The Five People You Meet In Heaven Summary

The Five People You Meet in Heaven starts with the introduction of a man named Eddie. He is crippled war veteran of World War II. Eddie had a very difficult life because of his abusive drunk father. The only good part of the beginning of his life is his caring mother. His father is a maintenance man at a well known amusement park called Ruby Pier. The story begins with Eddie’s death as a 83 year old man when he attempted to save a young girl's life from a falling rollercoaster ride. Then through flashbacks it reveals Eddie’s entire life and all of his troubles. After the end of the war Eddie was a maintenance man at Ruby Pier, the very place he swore he would never end up. The remainder of the novel is told around flashbacks to his birthday’s and encounters in heaven. The first person he meets in heaven is the Blue Man from a freak show on the pier, who died when Eddie was 8 years old. He tells Eddie that he was responsible for the death of the Blue Man. When Eddie was 8 years old he ran in front of the car the Blue Man was driving …show more content…
She asks him to bathe her with a stone and when he is done the damage from to fire is completely gone. She finally tells him that he did save the little girl from the falling rollercoaster. Eddie is then transported back to Marguerite to spend eternity with her at home in Heaven.

The meaning of this story is to show that all lives are interconnected. People affect everyone around them even if they only are around them for a couple of seconds. Also, people do not die for nothing. There is always a bigger reason even if it is not clear. Another lesson is that if you lose someone you can still love them even if they are gone. Finally Eddie is told that he was exactly where he was supposed to be in life. That means that everyone is doing what they are supposed to be doing even if they think they are in the wrong place of their