Magadia, Alliyah Aina C.

11-Stem 2

I. Background Information
A. Information about the novel
1. The book is entitled, “They Both Die at the End”.
2. The book was published on September 15, 2017, by Harper Collins
Publishing.
3. Adam Silvera is the New York Times bestselling author of More Happy Than
Not and History Is All You Left Me, and he was named a Publishers Weekly
Flying Start. Adam was born and raised in the Bronx. He was a bookseller
before shifting to children’s publishing and has worked at a literary
development company and a creative writing website for teens and as a book
reviewer of children’s and young adult novels. He is currently living and
writing full time in New York City.
4. Social issues such as sexuality, life and death are typically associated with
adults or mature minds however these issues are tackled in line with young
romance in Adam Silvera's They Both Die at the End. In this story, it is shown
that there is no life without death and love with loss. Death is portrayed as
forthcoming though no one wants to die. Events and actions that people deem
as inconsequential have large impact in the lives of others. Finally, becoming
the person one wants to be without fear and learning the meaning of "to live
and to die.
B.
Part 1.1 Thesis Statement:
Mateo and Rufus received a call that changed both of their lives. They are
going to die on September 15, 2017-the current date in the book. Both of the boys
spend time preparing for their “Death Day”.

Part 1.2 Thesis Statement:

The two boys are shown to be vastly different in personalities and
lifestyles.

Part 2.1 Thesis Statement:

Mateo opens the app "Last Friend”, and posts a message hoping to find
someone who he can depend on. The person to answer Mateo's message is fellow
Decker, Rufus.

Part 2.2 Thesis Statement:

Rufus helps Mateo, a shut-in, venture out of his comfort zone and enjoy
his last day.

Part 3.1 Thesis Statement:

With the aid of Mateo, Rufus faces his survivor's guilt finally receiving
closure from the death of his family however the threat of death still looms over
them. They survive an explosion masterminded by another Decker.

Part 3.2 Thesis Statement:

The two boys meet up with Lidia, Mateo's best friend, at the arena where
they "go around the world" and encourage Rufus to conquer his fear.
 Part 4.1 Thesis Statement:
Mateo and Rufus are surrounded by their loved ones having a wonderful
time, when they are attacked by a gang with no name. They survive and retreat to
the safety of Mateo's apartment.

Part 4.2 Thesis Statement:

The two promise to each other that they will survive and be the first to live
past their "Death day". However Mateo dies leaving Rufus devastated. After
telling his friends that Mateo had died, Rufus walks towards to presumably
oncoming traffic.
II. Summary

Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio are two teenage boys living in an alternate universe
where everything is the same as the current one with the exception of one thing: a mysterious
company known as Death-Cast exists. The company calls people to inform them that they
will die within the next 24 hours, and that death is inevitable.

It is past midnight when Mateo receives the alert, leaving him awake the whole night
contemplating about it. Rufus, on the other hand, was fighting his ex-girlfriend’s new
boyfriend when he received his alert. Rufus stops his assault, and he goes home to ruminate
about his newfound predicament.

The two teenage boys are vastly different from each other. Mateo is introverted and has
only one friend. His father has been in a coma for a while, and he does not have a big family,
it is just him and his father. When he received the alert, he had decided not to tell anyone as
he does not want others to worry about him. He spends a majority of his Death Day inside his
house, cleaning and playing videogames, attempting to distract himself from the notion of
having to confront the news and leaving the comfort of his house.

Meanwhile Rufus has a large family due to him being in foster care. His biological family
died in an accident which left him traumatized. He understands how precious life is, and
since receiving the alert he immediately wonders how much he can “live” in his final hours.
He wants to enjoy and make most of his limited time.

The two both open the app called “Last Friend”, where people who had received the alert
referred to as Deckers can connect with other Deckers and people willing to spend their time
with them. Here, the messages they receive range from callous, such as people trying to buy
their property, to inappropriate, such as wild sexual innuendos. The messages make them
question what really matters to them and how meaningless material things and impulses can
be. The two find each other and video chat for a while, with them agreeing to meet at
Mateo’s house with the deal that Mateo has to meet Rufus halfway for the rest of the day.

The two boys handle the reality of their imminent demise differently. Rufus tells his
friends and they hold a funeral while he is still alive in celebration of the life he has lived and
has yet to live. Mateo, on the other hand, tells no one aside from his only friend but only
when she had felt that he was hiding something. The two share stories showing how
important one is to each another and share proper goodbyes. Thanks to this experience,
Mateo chooses not to deny anyone who loves him the opportunity to express it.

Mateo and Rufus spend the remaining hours of their lives together. In each other’s
presence, they conquer their demons such as the case with Rufus and his guilt over surviving
the event that killed everyone else in his family. As they go about their last hours, they learn
lessons about life —lessons they will not have time to learn in any other circumstance, such
as money cannot buy happiness, and family is not always defined by blood. Thanks to each
other, the two boys become the people they always want to be; Mateo becomes more sociable
and Rufus gains someone who possibly loves him.

Before they die, Mateo and Rufus fall in love and decide to cram a relationship within
their remaining time. This makes the boys ponder of what their lives would have been like if
their circumstances were any different. They contemplate about how many people they will
not meet, how many lives they will not get a chance to be a part of, and they mourn the future
selves that they will never become. Due to this, Mateo and Rufus promise to one another that
they will live past their “Death Day” in the safety of Mateo’s apartment.

Mateo dies before Rufus, leaving him distraught. He tells their friends about Mateo’s
passing and as he crosses the street it is implied that he is hit by oncoming traffic.

Interpretation and evaluation

A. Author’s purpose
The author's purpose was to entertain. He was able to make the reader connect
with the characters, making them alive and causing the reader to empathize with
them. The story was written in a way that the build-up to the romantic relationship of
the protagonists would leave the reader giddy and optimistic of love. The author also
wanted to inform the reader about the uncertainty and fleeting nature of life. He
wanted the reader to be aware that death is not a villain; people should not fear it for
death is the catalyst of change.

B. Effectiveness
The book was entertaining and enrapturing as it was effective in making the
reader feel the emotions that the characters portray such as with Mateo when he got
the alert and the caller said the wrong name. The story was also filled with relatable
quotes that could apply to anyone making the reader more invested in it. The
reoccurrence of the theme of life and death further cements the author's notion. These
observations prove that the story is effective and served its purpose. Although, the
story could have been much more effective for other readers if the pacing was
moderated as some are not able to sustain the pace of the story.

C. Discussion of the topic’s theme

The book tackled numerous themes: death, guilt, young romance, lgbtq+ and
relationships. The story itself is progressive as it talks about how death can affect
anyone and can happen at any given time while showcasing a budding romantic
relationship between two teenage boys. It portrayed survivor's guilt, a feeling caused
by surviving an event that had taken other people's lives, and how it can influence the
emotional and mental stability of a person. The story also tackled relationships, from
romantic to platonic to familial. It showed how people formed bonds and lost them.

D. D

Strengths Weaknesses
The events of the story happened within
However, this made the story highly
one day further cementing the idea that
unrealistic.
anything can happen.
 This may prove to be confusing for the
Additional characters were subtly
reader as he/she may not be able to
introduced.
notice the hints.
The use of inescapable death as a plot
Death is over-used as plot device in
device and motivator in the story was
many stories.
used efficiently.

E.Common vernacular was moderately

used
W
Events
h that seemed insignificant proved Keeping track of these may prove to be
to be
a consequential to the story. difficult for casual readers.
Thet portrayal of almost dying and how
could it affect a person is accurate and
genuine.

is the overall value of the passage?

You only live once. You cannot escape death but you can either live or
just be alive. Sometimes all it takes is a little push in the right direction. We all
are going to die sometime. You do not do good deeds because you expect to be
rewarded for doing them; you do it because it is the right thing to do.