Peachey 1 Krista PeacheyMr. GroveBritish Literature Period 120 December 2013 The Five People You Meet in Heaven In The Five People You Meet in Heaven, by Mitch Albom, Eddie is very depressed and full of hatred and remorse during his life on earth. After spending much of her life working at an amusement park, she feels that her life is a waste because she has never had the opportunity to make her own decisions or have a career outside of Ruby Pier. However, on the day of his death, he learns how five people, loved ones or strangers, influenced his life in one way or another, for his betterment, while also learning his purpose in life. This novel examines the life of one man and illustrates that the solution to life's problems often waits within every man and only by looking back can a person find peace within himself. After a tragic accident that takes his life, Eddie wakes up in the afterlife, feeling younger and much rejuvenated. Once established in Heaven, the first person Eddie meets is Joseph Corvelzchik, generally known as Blue Man, a worker at Ruby Pier's Freak Show. Years ago, on Eddie's fifth birthday, the blue man nearly died of a heart attack when Eddie and his brother's ball suddenly made its way into the middle of the street. Eddie runs after the ball and the blue man quickly moves away to avoid hitting him, and after being flustered over almost hitting Eddie, he crashes into another car, unfortunately killing himself. According to the Blue Man, Eddie is primarily the cause of his tragic death. From this incident, the Blue Man teaches Eddie his first lesson: “That there are no random acts. That we are all connected. That you can no more separate one life from another than you can separate a breeze from the wind” (Albom 48). One way or another, all incidents are connected to each other. None of this would have worked