the five people you meet in heaven by Joseph Velona

Plot Analysis

velonaj — 2025-05-01 17:28:45 UTC

Eddie is a worker at an amusement park who has been working for many years. He has a very good connection with the kids and he's their favorite worker. Eddie always helped people and being friendly with the kids was where his happy side showed. On this page Eddie was killed trying to save a little girl from a falling cart. Eddie tried pushing her out of the way, but he was killed when trying to do so. This page helps understand who Eddie was as a person and what he would do for others. Later in the book Eddie is still wondering if the little girl was saved. This sets up for the next part of the story line

Prediction

velonaj — 2025-05-05 12:03:42 UTC

On this page Eddie talks about meeting his true love and it gives the reader a better understanding of who he is. He mentions exactly what she was wearing the day he met her and how her hair falls across her face when she turned around to wave goodbye. The fact that he remembers this snapshot so many years later is very endearing and proves that she was so special to him. I think that Eddie will see her in heaven, because she saved him from struggle. I believe it will be the 5th and final person he sees while in heaven. Eddie will go on a journey to find out more about heaven and I think when he is finally done with his journey he will be their with his girl.

Importance

velonaj — 2025-05-05 12:12:30 UTC

On this page it is the moment when Eddie is killed trying to save the girl. They describe Eddies death as him seeing nothing at all. I think this is important because it leaves him wondering what happened to the little girl. Maybe he will have a motive in heaven to understand and find out what happened to the little girl. It's also important because he died at the place he worked at and when he died, all of that was gone in a blink of an eye.

Blue Man Lessons

velonaj — 2025-05-05 12:29:27 UTC

This page talks about the Blue Man and Eddie. Eddie meets the Blue Man who gives him a lesson when they start to talk. He tells Eddie that all lives are connected and that some people are killed for others to survive. He explains he was killed, so Eddie could survive and that's the way it goes. The Blue Man gives Eddie some lessons. These lessons include, there are no random acts and that all lives intersect. He explains when Eddie was a child, his action of chasing a baseball into the street caused the Blue man to swerve his car and have a heart attack. He doesn't want Eddie to feel bad for "killing" him because he says it's all a part of a larger plan.

Lesson #2

velonaj — 2025-05-09 02:27:27 UTC

On this page, Eddie meets his Captain. They were together in the war that Eddie fought in. The captain teaches Eddie the lesson of sacrifice and tells Eddie the sacrifice he had made. He tells Eddie he shot him in the leg so he can save him from going in the burning building. He wants Eddie to learn sacrifice and to not think about what you lose. This lesson helps Eddie understand that sacrifice isn't just about loss, its about offering something of yourself for the greater good.

Analysis

velonaj — 2025-05-09 02:38:30 UTC

On this page Eddie sees his captains heaven and doesn't understand why he chose this as his heaven. The heaven Eddie sees is a battle field, but the captain sees beautiful surroundings. The captains heaven was beautiful with lush trees and pretty skies. Eddie sees rubble, melted trees, an murky land. This page shows that heaven is personalized and shows what one understands. The captain coming back to the battlefield allows him to be at peace with his sacrifices at war. It's a place where he can find peace.

Importance

velonaj — 2025-05-09 13:08:55 UTC

This page takes place the day after Eddies death. Dominguez and willie were both upset and not themselves. They didn't feel like working, eating, and were tired. The sadness of Dominguez and willie shows the affect of Eddies actions even after his death. It shows what kind of person he was and the impact he had on others. It helps support the blue mans lessons that no one is alone and everyone's lives are connected.

Meaningful

velonaj — 2025-05-09 13:20:35 UTC

The captain tells Eddie that dying isn't the end of everything, but its actually the beginning. Eddie is curious on how the captains been in heaven all this time and the captain replies with "time is not what you think it is". He explains that dying isn't the end of everything and after earth its a whole new beginning. This is important to Eddie because it introduces the idea of a bigger, more meaningful existence. It helps show that all the struggle and experiences on earth are for greater understanding and purpose. Eddie gets comfort from this.

Eddie's dad

velonaj — 2025-05-15 17:07:45 UTC

On this page Eddie walks into a new heaven. This heaven is a diner. While Eddie is looking around he sees his dad in the corner for the first time in a very long time. His eyes grew wide and he was in shock. He couldn't believe his dad was sitting right there. When he called out to his dad, he didn't answer. Eddie called out multiple times with no answer until Eddie started screaming and banging. He hadn't said the word dad in forever and this was the first time. This is an important scene because it shows the issues and unresolved conflicts Eddie and his dad have. The silence shows the lack of communication between the two.

Eddies childhood

velonaj — 2025-05-15 17:16:38 UTC

Eddie goes on about his neglect from his dad as a child. He recounts times when his dad would leave him for hours. When Eddie was an infant his dad neglected him and didn't love him. Eddie explains that these events damage a child and how they think. This page is important because it goes into details about Eddies childhood and why he feels the way he feels about his dad. With the information Eddie tells us, we can put together why Eddie is the way he is.

Eddie's snapping point

velonaj — 2025-05-15 17:26:38 UTC

On this page Eddies father unleashes his anger out on Eddie while he is drunk. His dad says "Get up, and get a job". Eddie just had a hurt leg and is dealing with depression. He isn't focused on a job right now. Eddie eventually snaps and blocks his dads punch. That's the last time they talked. Eddies mom tried to mend their relationship back together, but his dad said "no, that boy raised a hand to me". This is important because it shows the motive behind his dad's anger and how Eddie became who he is.

Lesson #3

velonaj — 2025-05-15 17:39:40 UTC

On this page Eddie talks to Ruby [the 3rd person he meets in heaven]. Ruby Explains that holding in anger is a poison, because it only affects you. She says "it eats you from the inside out". Eddie is holding in anger from his dad. His dad mistreated him for so many years and it left Eddie in a bad way. The neglect from his dad has fueled hatred for all the years. Ruby wants Eddie to forgive his dad and get rid of the hatred he's gained over the years. Ruby wants Eddie to understand that the more you hate and hold in, the more it will hurt you. Poison represents a slow killing and hurting from the inside, which is exactly like holding in anger.

Eddies Wife

velonaj — 2025-05-29 02:02:20 UTC

On this page Eddie talks about love to his wife. He hasn't seen her in a very long time and has so much he wants to catch up on. Eddie Asks His wife, Marguerite, if she did this too. Eddie is referring to being in heaven and going through the experiences he has been going through. Marguerite said she had gone through the experiences and told Eddie that it made all the difference. This is important to Eddie because it helps him understand and come to terms with heaven. It helps Eddie realize Heaven is there to help him and guide him through the struggles he is going through in the book. Eddie is constantly trying to find closure and Marguerite helped him understand that heaven will make the difference and help him find closure to his problems.

Eddies bad memories

velonaj — 2025-05-29 02:57:37 UTC

Eddie starts to hear bad noises such as high pitched shrieks and crackling. Eddie trembles at the hearing of this because it brings him back to a dark place when the village caught on fire in the war. Eddie swore he saw a little girl run into the fiery building, but his soldiers said he was seeing things. This still haunts Eddie because one of the main things he does in life is protect children and keeps them safe. Eddie felt overcome with this noise and lashed out because of it. This shows Eddie holds onto his memories and doesn't let them free, even the bad ones.

Faster Time

velonaj — 2025-05-29 03:07:05 UTC

Through out the book there have been a bunch of Eddies birthdays. On this page the Birthdays go by way faster than usual. This might be happening because of Eddies point in his life. These birthdays are inching closer to his death on earth and could be a main factor why his birthdays are going by faster than usual. This helps create a suspense to Eddies final moments and helps show the ending of his life. Making the birthdays fast almost add to Eddie dying in a sudden way, like everything was perfect for years until a random day occurred where he died.

5th Person

velonaj — 2025-05-29 03:16:41 UTC

On page 188, Eddie finds out that tala [the little girl he met] was the little girl he thought he saw in the burning building that night. Eddie couldn't believe it that the little girl was actually real. Eddie started to cry his eyes out at the realization of what he did. He couldn't keep himself together. This memory has been haunting Eddie ever since it happened. Although the thought of the little girl being killed hurt Eddie, it eventually opened him up and gave him a sense of closure. He understands that actions had a purpose and that he did save her in a way. Tala freed Eddie of guilt and regret by giving him a lesson. Tala teaches Eddie about the importance of forgiveness and letting go of anger.