Tuesdays With Morrie written by Mitch Albom is the story of Mitch, an author, and Morrie, an elderly professor who battled amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Mitch has been asked to write a piece of Morrie’s life, something that his students can learn from as he surpasses away, and the pair begin a weekly Tuesday meeting. Through these meetings, Morrie inspects life in ways that Mitch never expected.
Chapter One introduces Mitch, a successful sports writer and Morrie, his previous professor from college. Morrie had already been diagnosed with ALS, and his internist suggested that they start a regimmemt which resulted in visiting every Tuesday. This way Morrie could spend his last days reflecting on life. In this chapter, Mitch reminisces on how Morrie always had him look deeply into his soul to find the answers he needed.
Chapter Two assesses the cost of growing up. Mitch had been out of touch with Morrie for years. He thought back to when he was a student at Brandeis University, when Morrie was his sociology professor, and how he had always been able to see the entire picture for everything. Morrie had always wanted Mitch to think about the bigger picture in life, and to not simply focus on career goals at the expense of everything else.
Chapter Three reveals the distinct lessons learned from Morrie, such as the importance of expressing emotion instead of suppressing it. Morrie highlights how fear and emotion can shape your life; that you need to feel sorry for people and always understand others’ thoughts and perspectives. He also believed in the importance of realizing that while people are highly similar, everyone has distinct stories.
Chapter Four discusses the power of giving. Mitch and Morrie discuss how Morrie is giving from his life by imparting wisdom to help others learn lessons on how to live their lives. Morrie explains to Mitch that when you give something freely without expecting any return, you’re no longer tethered to any obligations.
Chapter Five focuses on forgiving yourself and those around you. Morrie wanted Mitch to understand that you need to extend grace to yourself and others before it is too late. He stresses that you should take the time to apologize for any wrongs you’ve done and to always remain kind-hearted when dealing with others.
Chapter Six addresses death. Morrie explains that deaths are often seen as embarrassments; however, it is not something to be ashamed of because it is a transitions from one life to another. During this chapter, they also discuss the strong relationship between love and death. If there is no connection between love and death, death holds no meaning for life.
Chapter Seven highlights how people often view youth as disposable. Morrie believes that young people should be respected and not taken advantage of. Especially when education is concerned, it is important to focus on imparting knowledge and not just what will enable one to ‘get by’ in life.
Chapter Eight is focused on learning to let go. For Morrie, this means accepting that things change and that nothing stays the same. Mitch learns this lesson through looking at Morrie, who let go of many things as he got older.
The final chapter is focused on mortality, reflecting on death and what it means. Morrie teaches Mitch that everyone will die and that it is important to accept this and live the best life that you can. He also encourages Mitch to not be afraid of death, but to use it as a way to live as life is short and precious.
Through writing Tuesdays With Morrie, Mitch Albom manages to capture the spirit of Morrie and the lessons he taught throughout the course of his life. The theme of this novel is taking time to appreciate life, love, and those around us while we can.
