Essay Topic: Eddie's Relationship with Minor Characters

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, Eddie, has developed some interesting relationships with the other characters in the novel. In this essay I am going to analyse Eddie’s relationship with the Blue man, Marguerite and Tala. These characters play an important role in the story and their relationship with Eddie helps him to better understand his life on earth and his journey to self discovery.

The first character that plays an important role in the story is Joseph Corvelzchik, better known as the Blue man. He helps Eddie to understand that everything in life is connected. Eddie soon learns that he was the cause of the Blue man’s death at a very young age, where Eddie ran out onto the road to collect his baseball causing a fatal car accident that tragically took the Blue man’s life. He also tries to help Eddie to understand that there are “no random acts in life” that all things, both in life and death situations, happen for a reason.

The second character that plays an important role in the story and was very much loved by Eddie was Marguerite, his wife. She taught Eddie that memories live on and that love does not die just because the person dies it is something that can still be felt in a spiritual state of mind. The quote on page 185 clearly declares this idea and the bond between Eddie and Marguerite’s everlasting love “I was still in love with you”
“I know” she nodded. “I felt it”
“Here?” he asked.
“Everywhere” she said “that’s how strong lost love can be”.


The third character that plays a symbolic role in the story is Tala, the little Philippine girl that Eddie was not able to save during the war. Eddie believed his life was worthless although after his death when he meets Tala and realizes that his duty in life was to look after the children and keep them safe. The symbolic imagery used towards the end of the novel of Eddie washing away Tala’s burns reinforces this idea and his relationship to Tala helps him to understand what his role was in life, he was the keeper for young children, despite never having any of his own.

In conclusion Eddie’s relationships with the Blue man, Marguerite and Tala are all significant and each of these unique relationships helped him to better understand himself in some way. He learnt that everything in life happens for a reason, love never dies and that his duty in life was to look after young children. Eddie believed his life was worthless but after his death and during his time in heaven it is revealed to him from these three characters and another two ( the Captain & Ruby) that his life was full of meaning after all.