Book Guide Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Album

Book Guide

Tuesdays with Morrie

By Mitch Album

LITERARY ELEMENTS SETTING The novel takes place during 1995, in Morrie’s study, in West Newton, Massachusetts. Mitch and Morrie meet every Tuesday, in his study, to discuss the meaning of life.

Morrie was a college professor for most of his career, and Mitch took all of his classes offered, when he was in college. When Morrie taught small classes, he would often hold them in his study, at the university, to give the students a friendlier environment. Morrie would also meet with his students, especially Mitch, outside of the class for discussion purposes.

Since Morrie has been sick and thereby restrained to his house, he and Mitch meet every Tuesday, in his study. This setting is symbolic and parallels to Morrie’s teaching career and the many students’ lives he had changed. It is only fitting that since Morrie liked to teach in his study, as he was able to give his last class, to one of his favorite students (Mitch) in the comfort of his own study at home.

CONFLICT There are two conflicts in this novel: the major conflict is Morrie vs. ALS and the second, minor conflict, is Mitch vs. himself. Morrie must come to terms with his illness and accept his coming death from ALS. In the meantime, Mitch, his former college student, visits him every Tuesday. Mitch has become very disillusioned with his fast-paced life and constant strive for materialistic possessions. He struggles to find meaning with his life and to change the person he has become in the sixteen years since he had last seen Morrie.

MOOD The mood changes slightly throughout the novel; however, the mood is mostly solemn because we know from the very beginning of the book that Morrie is dying. At times we can feel Morrie’s positive personality, when he is joking with Ted Koppel or Mitch, and we sense more of a light hearted tone. The novel also expresses a mood of reflection and enlightenment during Morrie’s lessons.

Protagonist

Morrie Schwartz is the protagonist of Tuesdays with Morrie; he is the character around which the action develops. Morrie is a loving, compassionate and accepting older man who is losing his life to the disease, ALS.

Antagonist The disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is the antagonist of the story. This is the disease from which Morrie is suffering throughout the novel. We see the disease gradually begin taking over Morrie: he stops dancing; he then eventually is confined to his chair in his study; the disease then prevents him from eating solid foods and moving around without help. Eventually he is bed ridden and fully succumbed to the disease, which does finally take his life.

Climax Mitch visits Morrie for the last time, when he is very close to his death; after years of trying to get Mitch to open up, Morrie finally succeeds at doing so by seeing him cry.

Outcome At Morrie’s funeral, Mitch has a conversation with Morrie, in his head, and feels at ease due to the familiarity of the conversation. Mitch also takes Morrie’s advice and contacts his brother in Spain. Another outcome of this story is the novel itself-Mitch relaying the story of a man who changed his life.

CHARACTER LIST Major Characters

Morrie Schwartz The novel is centered around him; Morrie is Mitch’s former college professor who was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gherig's disease); he meets with Mitch in his home every Tuesday to teach him about the meaning of life. Mitch Albom Morrie's former student; he has since become a journalist and leads a very fast paced life; finds Morrie after hearing he is sick on "ABC's Nightline" and visits him every Tuesday.

Minor Characters Ted Koppel A famous television newsman/personality who interviews Morrie three times for the “ABC's Nightline” show; he eventually describes Morrie as his friend and is almost in tears during his last interview with Morrie.

Charlotte Morrie’s wife, who is also a college professor; she keeps her job as a professor even while Morrie is sick because it is what he wished for her.

Janine Mitch’s wife; she takes a phone call from Morrie, whom she had never met, and accompanies Mitch to his next visit with Morrie. As a professional singer, she never sings upon request; however, when Morrie asked her to sing she did without hesitation and moved him to tears.

Peter Mitch’s younger brother who lives in Spain; he has pancreatic cancer and refuses any help from his family. He seems reluctant to rekindle his relationship with Mitch, but by the end of the novel, we see that he has warmed up and may be letting his brother back into his life.

Charlie Morrie’s father who came to America from Russia. He neglects Morrie and his brother; he even insists that Morrie keeps the death of their mother a secret from his younger brother. He dies after escaping muggers; Morrie had to travel to New York to identify his body at the city morgue.

Eva Morrie’s stepmother who came into his life when he was about nine years old. She provided much love to Morrie and his brother, David. She highly valued education and served as a great motivation for Morrie to work hard at his education. Morrie’s love for education stemmed from Eva, which later lead to his career as a professor.

David Morrie’s younger brother who developed polio at a young age.

Connie Morrie’s at-home health care aide; she assists Morrie in going to the bathroom, getting up and into his chair and also with his meals.

THEMES

“Love each other or die” (pg. 163) Throughout the book, Morrie recites a quote by his favorite poet or this variation in his own words. This is one of the most important lessons he wishes to teach Mitch and express on “Nightline”. Morrie feels that love and compassion are necessary for a person to be fulfilled. Morrie says that when love abounds, there is no higher sense of fulfillment one can experience.

Popular culture vs. self-created values Morrie’s lessons often contribute this theme that one should reject pop-culture values and standards and instead develop his or her own values. Morrie sees pop-culture as a dictator under which we must suffer. Morrie was able to create his own set of culture and values founded on love, acceptance and open communication.

Acceptance through detachment Morrie often talks about detaching himself from his experience, especially when he suffers from violent coughing spells. Morrie bases this theory of detachment, from a Buddhist philosophy. He feels that no one should cling to anything, and that everything that exists is impermanent. Through detaching himself, he is able to remove himself from his surroundings into his own consciousness. This way he is able to gain perspective in uncomfortable and stressful situations.

The Curriculum Summary Mitch Albom opens the novel with background information on Morrie Schwartz. Morrie was one of Mitch’s favorite professors, in college, at Brandeis University. Mitch introduces Morrie to his parents and gives him a briefcase for a gift. They hug; and when Mitch steps back he can see that Morrie is crying.

Notes This first chapter introduces the reader to the setting, mood and theme of the novel. We learn that Morrie Schwartz was Mitch’s favorite professor from when he went to college. It is also foreshadowed that this novel will be centered around Morrie’s last class, which was given in his home, to Mitch Albom. The theme of the class was the meaning of life and Mitch was the only student. It is apparent that this novel will be reflective, somber and hopefully enlightening. For we also know that at the end of the lesson-the “graduation” (1), will be Morrie’s funeral.

The Syllabus Summary Morrie could sense that his health was suffering, when he could no longer dance; this was even before he was diagnosed with ALS. Morrie loved to dance to any music and even with or without a partner.

As he aged into his seventies, breathing became harder, walking more challenging, and sleep troubling; he began to see doctors and was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Despite his terminal illness, he kept swimming, with help of course, and even insisted on teaching a class at the University.

Notes Mitch Albom presents more insight to Morrie’s character in this chapter. We see that he is carefree, loves to dance, a distinguished sociology professor, and determined to live his life to the very fullest, to the very end. When Morrie had to give up dancing, he kept swimming; when he could no longer dress and undress himself, he got help and still swam; when Morrie had to go to the bathroom, he asked one of his visitors to hold his cup; when Morrie was suffering from the terminal illness, ALS, he still taught a college class.

Morrie was innovative and inspirational to those around him. Upon attending a funeral, he felt sad that his deceased colleague never got to hear all of the praise said about him; Morrie held his own living funeral where he could hear the praise and tribute paid upon him.

The Student/ The Audiovisual Summary Mitch explains what has happened to him since he last saw Morrie on his college graduation day. He moved to New York City with high hopes of becoming a musician. However, upon the death of his uncle he soon saw his life to be too short to waste time playing at empty venues, committing to unreliable bands, and writing songs which he thinks will never be heard. Mitch decided to continue his education at Columbia University, obtaining his Masters Degree in Journalism.

One evening as he was flipping through the television channels, he heard the voice of Ted Koppel ask, “Who is Morrie Schwartz” (23)?

The chapter then flashes back to the first time Mitch met Morrie: it was their first class together in the spring of 1976. It was a small class and Morrie asked Mitch what he preferred to be called. Upon telling Morrie that his friends call him “Mitch”, Morrie told him that he hopes one day Mitch will think of him as a friend.

Notes Since the death of his uncle, it seems that Mitch was trying to make the most of his life by accepting job after job, accomplishment after accomplishment. He did not keep touch with any of his college friends, or even Morrie. Albom gives us the impression that he was so busy trying to live his life that he never stopped to realize he wasn’t.

The Orientation/ The Classroom Summary Mitch arrives at Morrie’s house still on the phone with a producer about one of his stories. He does not want to end the call so he pretends he is looking for something in his car. When Morrie sees Mitch, he hugs him with so much affection, after almost sixteen years of not seeing him. The two sit in the house and Morrie begins to speak about his looming death.

Mitch and Morrie talk for over two hours that day, mostly about Morrie’s sickness. Mitch eventually leaves to catch his returning flight and hugs Morrie good-bye.

These chapters flashback to Albom’s college years; Mitch nicknamed Morrie, “Coach” and recalls the lunches they ate together in the cafeteria.

Mitch began appreciating the study of human relations and caught Morrie’s contagious passion for books. They would often talk after class and Mitch even consulted Morrie advice about this confusing stage of his life.

Notes In these two chapters it is apparent that Mitch is ashamed of the person he has become in the sixteen years since he has seen Morrie. Mitch feels guilty for staying on the phone, in his car, while Morrie is anxiously awaiting his arrival. Mitch feels even guiltier when Morrie welcomes him so affectionately. As they sit and talk Mitch feels embarrassed that he is no longer the same as Morrie remembered him; he only hopes to fool Morrie into thinking he is the same.

For the remainder of these chapters we can tell that Mitch is very uncomfortable around Morrie and even about the person he himself has become. We can only infer from this, that Morrie will discover Mitch’s confused personality and help bring him back to the person he wishes to be.

Taking Attendance Summary A few weeks after his visit with Morrie, Mitch flies to London to cover Wimbledon. He notices the slough of printed tabloids and hungry reporters around him. He thinks of Morrie and their conversation.

When Mitch arrives back in Detroit, the unions at his newspaper had gone on strike. Mitch was currently out of his newspaper job. He called Morrie and the two agreed to meet again the following Tuesday.

The chapter then flashes back to Mitch’s sophomore year in college when he began to meet Morrie outside of the classroom for discussions. Mitch talks to Morrie about his aspirations in life because Morrie listens, unlike Mitch’s father who wants him to be a lawyer.

Notes Mitch, even more so, realizes the shallowness of the media and even his career. He is frustrated that people waste so much time consumed in the lives of celebrities and gossip. He thinks of Morrie and the culture he chose for himself: Morrie dedicated his time to discussion groups, time with friends, dancing, reading and constantly thinking of new ideas on how to improve his life as well as the lives of those around him. He enjoyed his food and the nature around him while Mitch was too busy rushing past it.

When the union members went on strike Mitch finally realized that life went on without him and his column.

The First Tuesday Summary Mitch visits Morrie for the second time. Mitch notices a stack of newspapers that Morrie had obviously read. Mitch is surprised that Morrie is keeping up-to-date with the news. They discuss a bit of news going on in the world and Morrie cries.

The flashback in this section takes place in one of Mitch’s college classes with Morrie. Morrie enters the room and is silent for about fifteen minutes. The students become uncomfortable which thus leads into a discussion regarding silence. Morrie tells Mitch, after the class, that Mitch reminds him of himself.

Notes Morrie still is interested in the world news even though he is near his own death. While discussing the war in Bosnia, Mitch begins to cry because he says that he can “feel their anguish” (50). We can tell that Mitch becomes uncomfortable with Morrie’s crying. Morrie tells Mitch that he will loosen him up one day and show him that it is ok for a man to cry.

Morrie explains that he thinks the most important thing in life is to learn how to give and receive love. He thinks that many do not believe they deserve love, but that “Love is the only rational act” (52). With this said Mitch gave Morrie a hug and a kiss while agreeing to meet him again the next Tuesday.

We see Mitch very slowly opening up to Morrie, as he once had in college. He is no longer hiding behind his job and his arrogance and is gradually shedding his emotional shield which he had gained the past sixteen years.

Mitch’s persona, on this first Tuesday, coincides with his character in the flashback presented in this chapter. During a particular class in college Morrie noticed that Mitch was quiet and shy about participating in the class discussion. Morrie told Mitch that he thinks he has a lot of assets to add to the discussion and that he reminds Morrie of himself: by keeping everything to himself.

On this particular Tuesday Mitch also seems hesitant to speak about his feelings. This is foreshadowing that Morrie will again “loosen” (51) him up as he once did back when Mitch was his student.

The Second Tuesday Summary This second Tuesday Mitch and Morrie discuss feeling sorry for yourself. Morrie says that he feels sorry for himself in the mornings when he realizes how much feeling or movement he has lost; he cries and then gets on with his day.

Mitch recalls a specific class with Morrie during his junior year in college. Morrie had everyone in the class stand and turn their backs to one another. He wanted each student to fall backwards in trust that their assigned partners would catch them. Only one student in the class completed the assignment.

Notes Mitch flies approximately seven hundred miles to see Morrie on Tuesdays. He no longer rents a cell phone to take on the rides with him. He is beginning to loosen up and enjoy his time alone and with Morrie.

We can also see that Mitch is finally becoming more comfortable and less awkward around Morrie; he begins to help Connie in lifting Morrie to and from his recliner. As Mitch feels Morrie’s dead weight in his arms, he finally realizes that their time together is running out.

The Third Tuesday Summary Mitch brings a tape recorder to Morrie’s in order to remember their discussions. They discuss regrets and how culture prevents us from thinking about such things until we are near our death.

On the plane ride home that day, Mitch made a list of all of the questions he had for Morrie.

During Mitch’s senior year in college, Morrie convinced him to write a sociology thesis on sports. Mitch is very proud of his work and momentarily considers returning for graduate school.

Notes Morrie and Mitch discuss regrets and how our culture prevents us from acknowledging our life until it is too late. Morrie states that most people have this fear of “What if today were my last day on earth” (64)? Would they have been happy with their life? Would they have released their inner child or helped others? Mitch becomes uneasy at this point; he pictures himself slumped over his desk, writing a story, and his editors greedily snatching the story from him as he is taken away in an ambulance to his death.

Mitch is starting to observe his own life and his own happiness. He is beginning to feel that he is not entirely happy in his life choices. He also begins taking notice of the people around him and how most are so wrapped up in greed and anger; it seems as though Mitch is seeing the lack of meaning in his life, through observing the lives of those around him.

The Audiovisual, Part Two/ The Professor Summary The “Nightline” show did a follow-up story and Ted Koppel once again interviewed Morrie. He mainly asked him what he will do when he can no longer speak and move his hands.

Morrie then read a letter that he wrote back to one of the viewers and we find out that Morrie lost his mother when he was a child.

Albom then presents us with Morrie’s childhood background.

Notes This is Ted Koppel’s second visit with Morrie and we can already see he is more comfortable around Morrie; he did not pre-interview Morrie, he spoke with ease and did not wear his jacket during the interview.

We also see Morrie, for the first time, express his sadness about feeling lonely. We find out that his mother died when he was a child over seventy years ago. Morrie gets very upset and Ted Koppel seemed slightly surprised that his pain continued that much seventy years later.

Morrie’s mother died when he was eight years old. Morrie had to break the news to his father, who spoke minimal English. After her death Morrie severely lacked love and compassion from another. He also learned that his brother was terminally ill with polio. Thinking all of this was his fault, Morrie began going to the synagogue to pray for his mother and his sick brother.

The next year he gained a step-mother named Eva. She treated Morrie and his brother like her own children, feeding them, singing to them and kissing the two good night. Eva greatly valued education, for during this time was the Great Depression; education seemed like the only path to a job. Eva also took classes to improve her English; she served as a great educational inspiration to Morrie.

At the end of the chapter Eva asks Morrie what he wants to do for his career. It seems as though he became a professor by default; however, we can see, from this background information, that Eva served as a key factor in Morrie’s love for education. It only seems fitting that he chose a career in academia.

The Fourth Tuesday Summary Morrie is now becoming dependant on an oxygen machine but still meets Mitch on this fourth Tuesday. They discuss death and how most people do not believe that they are ever going to die. Morrie tells Mitch that once one learns how to die, they learn how to live.

With this said, Morrie asks Mitch that if he could accept the fact that he could die at any time, would he still work as much as he does. He suggests that Mitch find some sort of spiritual development.

Notes Morrie explains to Mitch how he is able to see life differently now that he has accepted that he may die at any time. He says, “Everyone knows they’re going to die, but nobody believes it” (81). He feels that if people, in general, were able to believe that they could die at any moment, that they would live their lives differently. Morrie feels that we need to be prepared and learn how to die before we can learn how to live.

Morrie asks Mitch that if he could accept the fact that he could die at any time, if he would still be ambitious as he was. Mitch smiles and we can infer that he would answer that question by saying he would not live so quickly and busy.

The Fifth Tuesday Summary This Tuesday Morrie and Mitch discuss family and children. Morrie again emphasizes the importance of love, especially love from a family. He feels that if he did not have the love and support from his family, that he would have nothing at all.

Morrie then discusses the joy he had in raising a family and asks about Mitch’s own family.

Mitch has a younger brother who was always a family favorite. He moved to Europe after high school and caught pancreatic cancer just as their uncle had. His brother would not allow any of the family members to help him while he battled cancer, which made Mitch angry.

Mitch then recalls a memory of him and his brother sledding when they were children. The sled went in front of a car and the boys jumped off to safety. The two were filled with pride at having just skipped death.

Notes As Mitch looks around Morrie’s study he notices the many pictures of his family. In on particular picture, one of Morrie’s sons is kissing him. Throughout the novel so far Morrie has emphasized continuously, humans’ need for affection and compassion. Morrie is very openly affectionate with those around him which seems to be contagious. We can see from the pictures that Morrie raised his family to also appreciate this importance of love and compassion.

Morrie also describes his experience from having children. He feels that having children is learning to love and bond in the deepest way. It is apparent that Mitch has a void in his life and that is because he has never experienced this ultimate type of love.

Mitch recalls and instance where he and his brother were near death when their sled skidded in front of a car. Their friends who saw thought it was “cool” that they “could have died” (99). Albom states at the end of the chapter, “that wasn’t so hard, we think, and we are ready to take on death again” (99). This causes us to reflect back on what Morrie said earlier about believing that we will die one day. Although Mitch and his brother could have died, they did not believe in the possibility of them dying. Mitch thus continued to never learn how to live his life. Had Mitch believed that he could have actually died, and he may at any time, we can assume that he would have lived his life entirely different from that day forward.

The Sixth Tuesday Summary Mitch arrives at Morrie’s once again with his usual food supply. Morrie’s wife, Charlotte, answers the door for the first time and she tells Mitch that Morrie is not doing so well this particular day. She also tells him that Morrie has not eaten any of the food that Mitch has been bringing because he can no longer eat solid foods.

As Mitch and Morrie start talking, Morrie talks of “detaching” (103) himself. He says that if one is too afraid of an experience a certain emotion, they he or she will never be able to detach themselves. The two discuss other emotions and the fears that come along with them inhibiting people to let go of the fear and to experience the emotion.

Morrie tells Mitch that he does not want to die in a state of fright and that he would rather die peacefully.

Notes Morrie becomes noticeably sicker in this chapter and we can see that Mitch is scared of his death. Morrie’s main topic in this chapter is emotions, learning not to fear them and how to detach oneself.

Morrie feels that in order to be able to let go of an experience or an emotion you must let the experience “penetrate you fully” (103). He further explains that if we hold back on emotions and don’t allow ourselves to proceed through them, we will never be successful at detaching ourselves. He thinks that by throwing ourselves into these emotions, and allowing ourselves to fully experience them, then we will know exactly what they are. He feels that once we are able to recognize these emotions we will have the power to detach ourselves from them. This way we are able to see exactly what the emotion is and have the power not to let it control us.

The Professor Part II Summary After Morrie received his PhD, he spent time working at a mental hospital near Washington, DC. Morrie ended up working at the hospital for five years and even befriended some of the patients.

Following his work at the hospital he went to Brandeis to teach. He taught classes on social psychology, mental illness and health; he focused more on personal development than career skills.

Notes Albom is allowing us in to more of Morrie’s background. Before he worked as a professor he was given a grant to observe mental patients and record their treatments. He even became friends with some of the patients. Through his work at the mental hospital, he saw that most of the patients had experienced so much rejection and lack of compassion in their lives, that they were left feeling like they didn’t exist. Since many of the patience came from wealthy backgrounds Morrie learned that this wealth did not buy them happiness; Morrie never forgot this lesson or the importance of compassion.

The Seventh Tuesday Summary This Tuesday Morrie and Mitch discuss the fear of ageing. Morrie has finally surrendered to his illness: he can no longer go to the bathroom by himself. Instead of being frustrated he is enjoying all the people around him who are helping him and taking care of him.

Morrie describes why he thinks it is beneficial to age: to learn more, gain a better understanding of your life and to experience growth.

Notes Throughout the book thus far, Morrie would joke that one day he would need someone to wipe him after he was finished in the bathroom. We see such an impact of his sickness since he can no longer go to the bathroom alone, wash himself, or blow his nose. Morrie says he is enjoying being taken care of so much, just as a baby does. Morrie states that when we are babies we can never get enough of our mothers holding us and rocking us; Morrie then states, “Most of us didn’t get enough. I know I didn’t” (116). As he states this we are reminded of the conversation in which he is telling Ted Koppel about that his mother died when he was very young. Because of this Mitch finally sees why Morrie enjoys human touch to the extent that he does. Morrie feels that he, himself, did not receive enough, due to the early death of his mother, so he seemed to live his life giving out as much as he could to those around him.

Morrie was never particularly scared to age. Being a teacher he sees much of the misery and confusion in young people; he thinks that it can be quite rough being young. He also feels that the young are not yet very wise; they do not yet understand life and its directions, and are still negatively influenced by the media.

Morrie feels that with age comes growth and knowledge. He sees ageing as a growth and the ability to live a better life. He feels that people who wish they were young, lead unfulfilled lives. He states, “...If you’ve found meaning in your life, you don’t want to go back” (118).

In this chapter, Morrie again emphasizes his theory that once we understand we are going to die, we will lead a better and more fulfilling life.

The Eighth Tuesday Summary Influenced by a quote from the newspaper, Morrie and Mitch discuss money and power. Morrie lived his life enjoying simple pleasures such as dancing, singing and laughing. He explains in this chapter how he sees society being brainwashed into thinking that “more is good” (124).

Morrie tells Mitch that in order to feel satisfied, people should offer to others, what they have, whether it be a skill or simply just listening.

Notes Morrie discusses the negative impacts that our society has on our conception of what we think creates happiness. He feels that society is trying to promise happiness in materialistic things. Morrie interprets people who constantly buy the latest must-haves, as people who are very deprived of love. He feels that people embrace material things when they are lacking some sort of meaningful relationship.

Morrie feels that we can gain satisfaction in our lives if we offer to others, what we have to give; he says that the best way to do this is by offering companionship.

This is an important lesson for Mitch because he realizes that he is striving for such materialistic things. He is constantly surrounded by rich athletes and the media and is always competing for a higher salary, bigger house and so on. Mitch even admits to himself that he is one of those people who Morrie is describing who is lacking tenderness and compassion. This is emphasized when Mitch states that he kept taking notes on what Morrie was saying so Morrie would not be able to read Mitch’s thoughts and feelings through his eyes.

The Ninth Tuesday Summary The previous day, someone had asked Morrie if he was afraid of being forgotten after he was dead. He feels that since he has been involved with so many people in close ways, that he is not so worried about being forgotten.

Mitch describes how he loves the way Morrie greets him upon his entrance. Mitch admires how Morrie has such a talent as to make each person feel special when they are around him.

Morrie tells Mitch how important it is to stay focused and to only be present with the people who are around you. He thinks that so many people are in a hurry and do not find the time to even engage in a real conversation without thinking of something else.

Notes

Morrie feels that it is important to truly be engaged and devoted when in the presence of others and also during conversation. He says that when he is with someone, he believes in being fully present only with that person. Morrie feels that so many people have not found meaning in their lives, so they rush and run around time after time in search of it. They are in search of more materialistic things which only provide them with less meaning. Morrie emphasizes the importance on skipping small talk and really listening to someone, without trying to gain anything in return. We can infer that since Morrie has given so much of his time and attention toward others, that this is why he has been having so many visitors; they were drawn to him due to all of the attention he had paid to them. Despite his pain and suffering, Morrie continued to listen to others, just as he had always wanted someone to listen to him.

Albom goes into further detail about Morrie’s father in this chapter. We learn that the last time Morrie saw his father was while he was claiming his body in a city morgue. His father had been robbed that evening and ran and ran until he suffered from a heart attack.

Morrie’s father rarely talked to his children and never hugged them or tucked them into bed at night. Morrie knew that when he raised his own children he would emphasize everything he had wished for as a child: hugging, kissing, talking and plenty of laughter.

Morrie told Mitch that when his final moment had arrived, he wanted to be surrounded by his family and those he loved; he wanted them to know what happened so no one would get a phone call, a telegram or have to claim his body from a basement.

The Tenth Tuesday Summary On this tenth Tuesday, Mitch brings his wife to meet Morrie. Mitch had called Morrie earlier in the week to see how he was feeling and he asked to talk to Mitch’s wife, Janine. When she got off the phone with Morrie, she told Mitch she was coming on the next trip. They talk and Morrie asks about her career as a professional singer and he asks her to sing something for him. She sang a 1930’s song written by Ray Noble. When she finished singing, Mitch noticed tears running down Morrie’s face.

Mitch and Morrie then discuss marriage and Morrie shares with him, what he has learned through his many years of marriage.

Notes Mitch brings his wife, Janine, to meet Morrie on their tenth meeting. They talk about Detroit, the city where she is from and Morrie asks her to sing for him. Mitch is very surprised when she openly starts singing to Morrie. Mitch states that, since Janine is a professional singer, many people often ask her to sing for them and she politely declines. However, when Morrie asks this of her, she starts singing without hesitation. This is another example of how Morrie is able to draw emotion from people. Mitch said that he had never heard his wife sing as well as she had that day; Morrie drew out Janine’s best singing while her song drew tears out of Morrie.

Mitch asks Morrie why his generation has so many problems with marriage. Morrie states that he feels it is so important, in today’s culture, to find a loving relationship; he feels that people are either too selfish to take part in a real marriage, or rush into marriage and get divorced shortly thereafter. He feels that these people, who rush into marriage, do not know exactly what they want in a partner.

Morrie shares some of what he has learned throughout his forty years of marriage. He feels that there are a few essential rules that are true about love and marriage: respect for the other person, compromise, open conversation and a common set of values. He believes also that the two must believe in the importance of their marriage.

The Eleventh Tuesday Summary Morrie’s disease is starting to hit his lungs, which is how he predicted he would die. The physical therapist teaches Mitch how to slap Morrie on the back to break up the poison in his lungs.

Mitch and Morrie discuss our culture and the shortsightedness of most people.

Later that afternoon, Mitch and Connie watch the verdict of the O.J. Simpson trial.

Notes In this chapter Mitch has admitted to becoming more open in showing his affection and accepting Morrie’s sickness. He states that he regularly holds Morrie’s hand, is comfortable around his catheter bag, and does not mind the smell of the room that Morrie is living in. These are all things Mitch said would have otherwise made him very uncomfortable. It seems as if Mitch is benefiting and learning from Morrie’s lessons.

During this lesson Morrie and Mitch discuss our culture. Morrie feels that people become mean when they are threatened. He feels that our culture threatens us because it creates chaos and fear of losing our jobs, not earning enough money or not staying thin enough. Morrie feels that we should obey the small rules such as speed limits and red lights; however he feels that we should create our own subculture determined for each individual: how we think, what we value etc. He feels that these characteristics should be chosen specifically by each individual and that one should not let a society chose for them.

Morrie also feels that we, as a society, do not like to believe that we are as much alike as we are. He feels that if we all saw ourselves as similar to one another, then maybe we would all be eager to join together as one family.

Later that afternoon, Mitch and Connie watch the verdict of the O.J. Simpson trial, the “Trial of the Century” (158). This trial was a major milestone in pop-culture; people watched the trial daily, read about it and basically the entire nation watched the verdict. It is only fitting that Morrie was in the bathroom as the verdict was announced on the news. This is simply another example of how Morrie wanted to create is own subculture, and not let society sway his opinions or waste his time.

The Audiovisual Part III Summary Ted Koppel and the “Nightline” crew come back for a third and final interview with Morrie. Morrie is much sicker now and is not sure he can even do the interview.

Ted Koppel and Morrie do the entire interview from Morrie’s study, since he is confined to his chair. He is noticeably weaker but successfully completes the interview.

Notes Aside from the millions of lives Morrie has touched, through television, teaching, and his family and friends, he has now touched Ted Koppel. Koppel now refers to Morrie as his friend and he kissed Morrie upon greeting him.

During the interview Koppel asked Morrie if he was afraid of dying. Morrie, true to form, explained how he was less afraid now that it is near. He enjoyed letting go of the outside world, the newspapers and television, and enjoyed listening to music and watching the seasons change through his window.

Morrie tells Koppel, “...living means I can be responsive to the other person. It means I can show my emotions and my feelings” (162). Throughout his life, we saw how Morrie valued compassion and showing emotion and feeling towards others. Since Morrie lacked this so much as a child, he lived his whole life continuously offering emotion and feelings towards others. He feels that when he can no longer do this, it will be the end of his life. For he lived emphasizing so much importance around this notion that he feels if he cannot offer his emotions and feelings toward others, that he should no longer be able to live.

The Twelfth Tuesday Summary It is the Twelfth Tuesday and Mitch and Morrie discuss forgiveness. The whole time, Mitch rubs lotion on Morrie’s feet to relieve them of some pain.

Morrie tells Mitch a story in which he never forgave one of his friends for an incident which happened years ago. He then continued to say that we also must forgive ourselves for the things we feel we should have done.

At the end of the chapter Morrie tells Mitch that if he could have had another son, he would have liked it to be Mitch.

The chapter flashes back to a conversation between Mitch and Morrie when Morrie found the place in which he would like to be buried. It is on a hill beneath a tree and overlooking a pond. He hopes that Mitch will come visit him and tell him all his problems.

Notes In this chapter we learn that Morrie did once have spite and pride towards one of his old friends. His friend Norman and his wife moved away to Chicago. When Morrie’s wife had to have a serious operation they did not receive as much as a phone call from Norman or his wife. Morrie became very angry with him and never treated their friendship the same. Morrie regretted never reconciling with Norman and accepting his apologies, especially when he died of cancer.

Morrie feels that as much as it is important to realize when we should have forgiven someone else, we should also forgive ourselves for this mistake. He states that we must acknowledge what it is we wished we would have done, and then forgive ourselves for it.

Morrie also states that he feels sad that his time is dwindling but he is also grateful with the chance he has to “make things right” (167).

The Thirteenth Tuesday Summary Morrie has decided to be cremated upon his death. He tells Mitch how people act as if death is contagious and how they are afraid to see it. Morrie has been having very bad nights involving terrible coughing spells. He had recently had one so terrible that he almost felt as if he was going to die. He told Mitch that he suddenly felt at piece with dying.

Mitch asks Morrie what he would do if he was perfectly healthy for one day. Morrie describes a simple day of being with friends and dancing.

They then discuss Mitch’s sick brother who he has been trying to reach for weeks. Mitch cannot understand how his brother wants to be left alone during this time. Morrie tells him that he will eventually find a way back to his brother just as he found him.

Notes Mitch asks Morrie that if he could be healthy for one day, what would he do. He described a simple day to Mitch: waking up and having breakfast, visiting with a few of his friends at a time so he could talk with them each about their families and their lives, have lunch with them and then meet his friends again for dinner and dancing. Mitch realized that such simple things could be perfection for Morrie. He did not choose any exotic vacations, he chose to remain where he was, and to be surrounded with those who he loved.

The Fourteenth Tuesday/Graduation Summary Charlotte had called Mitch that day, to tell him that Morrie was not doing well but he still wanted to see him. When Mitch arrived, Morrie was still asleep and now bed ridden. He was very weak; he told Mitch that he was not doing well, and that he loved him. Mitch kissed Morrie, longer than usual, and finally began to cry.

Morrie died on a Saturday morning with his immediate family present. The funeral was held on a damp, gray morning. Charlotte kept the ceremony small for only friends and family, although hundreds wanted to attend.

Mitch talked with Morrie in his head and noted how familiar the conversation felt. He then realized that it was Tuesday.

Notes On this last Tuesday it does not seem as if Morrie has the energy to talk. He tells Mitch what a good person he is and that he has touched his heart. Mitch holds Morrie’s hand like usual, and tells him that he loves him. He then begins to cry and hopes that Morrie is a bit satisfied that he has finally made him cry. This was foreshadowed at the beginning of the novel where Mitch’s character was still stiff and lacking emotion. We could assume that Morrie would find a way to open Mitch up and let out his emotions. We can gradually see this throughout the novel as Mitch kisses Morrie, holds his hand and massages his feet. Finally, at their last moment together, Morrie has successfully made Mitch cry.

When Morrie died, he was alone in his room. It was the one moment where no one in his family was with him. It seems as though he had waited for it to be that way so there were no horrifying moments and no one witnessing his last breath. It seems as though he did not want anyone haunted by his death, such as he was by the deaths of his parents.

Conclusion Summary/Notes One of the main things that Morrie taught Mitch was that, "there is no such thing as 'too late' in life" (192). Mitch seemed to take this thought to heart, as he was inspired to contact his sick brother in Spain. Mitch told him that he respected his desire for the distance between them but that he wanted to remain in contact because Mitch loved him. Mitch stated that he had never said such a thing to his brother; it seems as though by Mitch telling his brother that he loves him, also allowed his brother to see that it is never too late to regain contact and include his family in his life.