"The Five People you Meet in Heaven" Padlet by Erica Cheselka

“The Journey and the Arrival” (20-31)

cheselkae — 2024-05-07 14:06:48 UTC

For the first time, in this section the reader gets to understand more about Eddie's childhood. On his birthday he is undoubtedly greeted by his traditional Irish family by being hung upside down by Mickey Shea. He is unsure about who he is and doesn't enjoy all the unwarranted attention he receives. This section is significant to the story because it allows the reader to recognize Eddie's love for his mother. He notices little details about her appearance and finds comfort in her presence. After being hung upside down, he looks to her for peace and calm as he knows she will make his birthday better by walking along the pier and going on rides. This scene highlights the importance of a mother figure in his life. It's clear that he doesn't get along easy with men as he feels unsure about his life while in the presence of Mickey Shea.

“The End” (1-19)

cheselkae — 2024-05-08 11:53:13 UTC

In this section, the reader sees a bit of Eddie's character. He likes and appreciates Dominguez. After he tells him he's taking a trip to Mexico, Eddie reaches in his pocket and gives him the last 40 dollars he has. This scene takes place 20 minutes before his death and is significant because the relationship between the two is sweet and it shows how giving of a person Eddie is. With his reactions to situations at work or in the past so far, he's often annoyed or tired. But here, he is charismatic and warmhearted.

“1st Person”

cheselkae — 2024-05-08 12:05:45 UTC

This page is very significant to the story because Eddie arrives in heaven. All of his suffering and pain has gone away and the first person he encounters is the "Blue Man". He tells Eddie that he will eventually meet four other people that altered his life in some way and maybe even people that he has never met before. This scene sets the stage for the rest of the book. Although Eddie died, his story is not over because he will learn more about the significance of his life and his impact on other people's lives.

“First Lesson” (32-55)

cheselkae — 2024-05-08 19:01:21 UTC

The Blue Man tells Eddie that when he was a young boy he stepped out into the road at the wrong place and time. Which in return, ended the Blue Man's life by a heart attack. Eddie never knew that he contributed to his death until this moment, he arrives in heaven. This is significant to the story because Eddie begins to believe that he should suffer for his sins and pay his dues. But the Blue Man tells him that is not the reason why he is there. Instead, it is to teach him something meaningful. And every other person he will meet in heaven will also have one thing to teach him.

“2nd Person” (56-76)

cheselkae — 2024-05-13 13:47:25 UTC

In this section, the narrator tells a story around when Eddie served in the war and while he was being held a prisoner to the enemies. The conditions were untenable. Eddie was given barely any food or water, speaking was prohibited and bombing was nearby. The prisoners were hopeless, including Eddie but he managed to pray. Evidently he wasn't big on praying or believing in God. But he prayed not only for himself, specifically for the love of his life, Marguerite. This is significant to the story because it shows how much he loved her and the altitude of traumas he faced throughout his life.

“2nd Person” Cont. (77-90)

cheselkae — 2024-05-13 13:56:40 UTC

During this flashback, Eddie had escaped from being prisoner of the opponents and without a doubt came very close to end of his life. He notices a figure standing in a burning barn on enemy grounds and quickly becomes cultivated by his own eyes. The figure appeared to him as a child and brought forth so many memories of his cousins, Ruby pier, and Marguerite. All memories that he had to leave in the past to win this fight. This is very important to the story because Eddie risked his life going in that fire for just the possibility of saving someone else.

“2nd Lesson” (91-97)

cheselkae — 2024-05-13 14:06:59 UTC

In this section Eddie is speaking with the second person that he will meet in heaven, The captain who sacrificed his life for the others during war. Eddie feels so bad for him and the way he died, at first believing it wasn't fair. Then the captain shifts his perspective by teaching him that sometimes a sacrifice isn't a loss, but a way of passing on. And before the captain vanishes Eddie asks him if he ever saved the girl before he died and the captain mysteriously responds.

“3rd Person” (98-131)

cheselkae — 2024-05-21 13:11:16 UTC

On this page, Eddie's father is depicted as very selfish and neglectful towards Eddie during his youth. The narrator describes childhood in general as damaging and a time in life where you are very impressionable. He wanted his father to care for him and love him but he often left him for drinks on the boardwalk. This description of Eddie's father is significant to the story because it makes the reader feel bad for Eddie's innocent self at the time while also adding onto the reasons he resented his father.

“3rd Person” (98-131)

cheselkae — 2024-05-21 13:20:45 UTC

In this scene Eddie has returned home from serving in the war, after dealing with his injuries. At this point in his life he doesn't speak much with his father because of how different the two became over time. When Eddie was awake his father was out drinking. But this was the breaking point of their relationship. Eddie was so depressed and traumatized after the war and his father did not understand that. He viewed depression as pathetic which eventually lead to him pressuring Eddie to "get up and get a job". This is the first time Eddie ever defends himself by grabbing his dad's arm mid-swing and afterwards they never spoke again.

“3rd Lesson” (132-145)

cheselkae — 2024-05-21 13:30:57 UTC

In this section, Ruby is showing Eddie what truly happened near the end of his father's life and what he did for Mickey Shea. Eddie's dad risked his own life to save Mickey from drowning after almost killing him for attempting to sexually assault his wife. This shocked Eddie because he didn't understand why his father would save him after doing the unspeakable. But loyalty was the underlying reason why Eddie's dad did what he did for him. This ultimately lead to his father's death but he felt it was right after all Mickey has done for their family. This is important to the story because it shows a completely different side to his father and makes him sound more understandable as a complex character.

“3rd Lesson” (132-145)

cheselkae — 2024-05-21 13:40:50 UTC

In this section, Ruby is sharing with Eddie his third lesson, forgiveness. He is hesitant to forgive his father after just discovering how he died but she tells Eddie that in order to move on and free the soul, forgiving is necessary. This is important because Eddie then forgives his father for all he's done to him throughout his life and he imagines all the possibilities of what his life could've been if things were different. He yells out for answers from his father on why he saved Mickey Shea and risked death for him. Then follows with acceptance and forgiveness for him.

“4th Person” (146-171)

cheselkae — 2024-05-23 13:58:14 UTC

In this section Eddie meets Marguerite in heaven. She asks him if he had forgotten what she looked like but all of his last memories of her consisted of sadness and illness. This is important to the story because Marguerite chose weddings as her heaven. This shows Eddie how much she loved him and their wedding and how she valued those good days so much she chose to feel the love and excitement of becoming newly married as her heaven.

“4th Lesson” (172-178)

cheselkae — 2024-05-30 18:58:10 UTC

In this section Marguerite teaches Eddie his fourth lesson. He asks her what the reason was that she had to leave him at such a young age when she was all he had and all he loved in life. Then she tells Eddie that love never dies and when a person leaves you, the love shared in memories and the relationship that they built never goes away.

“5th Person” (179-194)

cheselkae — 2024-05-30 19:05:33 UTC

In this section it's a flashback to Eddie's 60th birthday and the first birthday after Marguerite passed away. He feels lonely and simplistic on this day because he felt there was no reason to celebrate, as she always got taffy for him and he didn't have any family to celebrate with anyway. He goes to work and eats a sandwich as if it's not any ordinary day. This is significant to the story because it shows the lonely parts of Eddie's life and how he lived a rather simple day to day.

“Final Lesson” (179-194)

cheselkae — 2024-05-30 19:16:13 UTC

In this section Eddie asks Tala, his final person, if he saved the girl at the pier. She tells him he did and the hands that he felt at the final moment of his death were actually Tala's hands bringing him to heaven. Eddie discoverers that although he felt his life was meaningless and that he didn't accomplish much, he had a purpose and that was to keep the kids safe. This is significant to the story because finally Eddie finds out what he's been wanting to know the entire time, if he saved the little girl.