Mitchell 1

Mackenzie Mitchell
Mrs. ODonnell
English II
19 February 2015
Tuesdays with Morrie
In Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, an old college professor, Morrie Schwartz, is
diagnosed with an incurable and terminal disease known as Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Overtime, he becomes more and more weak as his body deteriorates, until he is brought to his
death. But during the final months before his death, he is visited weekly by his former student
whom he has not seen in years, Mitch Albom, and together they discuss the most important
lessons of life. Although Morries contraction of ALS may be seen as negative because it consists
of a slow and painful death for him, not all of its effects are negative. Morrie being diagnosed
with a disease proves to be beneficial for both him and Mitch, as it leads Mitch back to him, and
it allows Mitch to reevaluate his own life, and Morrie to appreciate his.
Mitch learning of Morries disease is what led him to visit his old professor after nearly
sixteen years apart. After graduation, the two lost contact because, although Mitch had promised
to visit Morrie, he never made an effort to. Instead, he became preoccupied with his life, working
as a sports writer. When describing his life after college, Mitch writes that he did not know of
Morries illness (17), but soon many people would know. After his diagnosis, Morrie would
write down aphorisms, or philosophies, and share them with his friends, one of whom sent an
aphorism to the The Boston Globe. An article about Morrie was then published and was noticed
by a producer of Nightline. Then, hearing Morries story, Nightline host Ted Koppel decided to
interview the man. Mitch describes seeing Morrie on television.A thousand miles away, in my

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house on the hill, I was casually flipping through channels. I heard these words from the TV setWho is Morrie Schwartz? -and went numb (23), he writes. It is by watching the interview that
Mitch learns of Morries disease and is somewhat reminded of Morrie. He then decides to visit
him. Upon Mitchs arrival at his home, Morrie hugs his former student and whispers, My old
friend, youve come back at last (28), displaying his delight for seeing Mitch again. It is while
describing the first visit that Mitch admittedly writes, Had it not been for Nightline, Morrie
might have died without ever seeing me again (33), proving that Morries fame, which was a
result of his contraction of ALS, is responsible for Mitchs first visit to Morrie, and all of the
visits to come.
Initiated by Morries illness, Mitch and Morries weekly visits allow Mitch to gain
knowledge from Morrie, which he uses to change his ways of life for the good. In the beginning
of the novel, when telling of life after college, Mitch describes himself as buried in his
accomplishments and having his own culture. Work (43). When his car arrives at Morries
home for the first time, he is speaking with someone on the phone about work. He sees Morrie
sitting in the yard, waiting for him, but he takes his time finishing his conversation before getting
out of the car, rather than rushing to greet the dying man he has not seen in years. This is a clear
example of how Mitchs life is revolved around work and himself, not others. My days were
full, yet I remained, much of the time, unsatisfied (34), he admits, revealing that he is successful
and busy but not truly happy. Mitch also begins the novel as a reserved person who keeps his
feelings to himself, claiming, ...I am still not comfortable talking about my feelings in front of
others (54) Although he describes Morrie as having clarity about what was important in life,
he reveals, I wanted that clarity (66). But Morrie teaches him what is truly important in life.
While discussing death, Morrie says, We are too involved in materialistic things, and they dont

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satisfy us. The loving relationships we have, the universe around us, we take these things for
granted (84). He is emphasizing how the value of material things cannot measure up to that of
relationships with people. Then, while discussing money, Morrie also says, You cant substitute
material things for love or for gentleness or for tenderness or for a sense of comradeship (125).
He is again instilling the unimportance of material things in Mitch. Mitch not only absorbs
Morries lessons, but clearly changes throughout the novel. After only a few visits with Morrie,
Mitch describes flying to make his visits and writes, I no longer rented a cellular phone from the
airport. Let them wait, I told myself, mimicking Morrie (55). Him doing this is evidence of him
focusing on visiting Morrie rather than on his job, proving to be becoming less work-obsessed.
Mitch also begins to care more about others than himself. He rubs Morries feet, which is
something Morries helpers had previously done that he had never done, and writes, And at this
point, anything I could do to make him [Morrie] happy, I was going to do (164). His willingness
to do anything for Morrie exhibits his new selflessness. Also, at the end of the story, Mitch
begins to no longer hide his feelings, and he cries when saying good-bye to Morrie at their last
visit. This is something that Morrie had been trying to get him to do for years, and he finally
succeeded. If Morrie had not been dying, Mitch would not have expressed his emotions for the
first time. Also, if the two had not been brought together by Morries illness, then Mitch would
not have been given the chance to learn what was truly important in life and use this knowledge
to change his ways.
Knowing his life will soon be coming to an end forces Morrie to cherish the days he has
left. He uses his time to say goodbye to loved ones, having constant visitors. While discussing
feeling sorry for himself, he says, Its horrible to watch my body slowly wilt away to nothing.
But its also wonderful because of all the time I get to say good-bye. Not everyone is so lucky

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(57), admitting that he is grateful that he is dying. Morrie even had a living funeral to which he
invited his friends and family. And all the heartfelt things we never get to say to those we love,
Morrie said that day (13), Mitch writes, showing how Morrie made an effort to not leave any
important things unsaid between him and his loved ones. Morrie also sees his illness as an
opportunity to right any of the wrong things in his life. He tells Mitch while discussing
forgiveness, I mourn my dwindling time, but I cherish the chance it gives me to make things
right (167). He again is expressing his gratefulness to his disease. Being sick also makes Morrie
more appreciative of life. During one of his last visits, Mitch asks Morrie what he would do if he
could have one perfectly healthy day. Morrie describes a simple day of spending time with his
friends, eating and dancing, and then having a nice sleep. Mitch is surprised by how average
Morries perfect day would be. He writes, After all these months, lying there, unable to move
a leg or a foot- how could he find perfection in such an average day? Then I realized this was the
whole point (176), realizing that Morries sickness, depriving him of some of the simplest
pleasures of life, made him appreciate those things so much more.
Morries contraction of ALS brings him and Mitch back together and provides them both
with opportunities to change the way they live, proving to be a positive thing. It is in this way
that Tuesdays with Morrie illustrates how even the worst-seeming situations can have some
positive outcomes, and reminds readers that situations are what they make of them. People can
either see the good in everything, or see the bad; the choice is given everyday.