Peachey 1 Krista PeacheyM. GroveBritish Literature Period December 120, 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 most of his life working at an amusement park, he feels his life is a waste because he never had the opportunity to make his own decisions or make a career outside of Ruby Pier . However, on the day he dies, he learns how five people, close and strangers, influenced his life in one way or another, for his betterment, and also learns his purpose in life. This novel examines the life of one man and illustrates that the solution to life's problems often awaits within every man and that only by looking back can a person make peace within himself. After a tragic accident takes Eddie's life, he wakes up in his afterlife feeling younger and rejuvenated. Once settled in Paradise, the first person Eddie meets is Joseph Corveltzchik, generally known as the Blue Man, an employee of the Freak Show at Ruby Pier. Years ago, on Eddie's fifth birthday, the Blue Man almost died of a heart attack when the balloon Eddie and his brother had suddenly made its way into the middle of the street. Eddie runs after the ball and the blue man quickly moves out of the way to avoid hitting him, and after getting upset after nearly running over Eddie, he crashes into another car, unfortunately killing himself. According to the Blue Man, Eddie is above all the cause of his tragic death. From this accident, 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). In one way or another, all the incidents are linked together. None of this would have taken