Character Evolution in The Five People You Meet in Heaven

Activity Overview

Eddie changes physically and emotionally over the course of the novel as he learns different lessons and new information from his five people. Use the activity for Character Evolution with your students to help them keep track of how Eddie evolves throughout the course of the novel.

Eddie's Character Evolution Example

STAGE	EDDIE'S TRAITS	EXPLANATION
Exposition	83-year old gentleman, dutifully maintaining rides at Ruby Pier; he walks in pain from an old injury; he keeps to himself	Eddie is a widower who lost his wife when she was only 47 years old. He took over the maintenance job at Ruby Pier after his father’s death, and he blames his father for being stuck at that job. He has a knee injury that bothers him from the war.
Conflict/Rising Action	Feels young again in Heaven and not in pain; then the old injury comes back; confused; can’t figure out why he is there; guilty	Eddie is transitioning through his childhood, to his time as a soldier. Along the way, he is learning lessons, but he is also learning that he accidentally killed the Blue Man, his Captain is the one who shot him, and his Captain died as they were trying to flee the coal mining village. He is also filled with anger and hatred at seeing his father, but soon learns he needs to let go.
Climax	Eddie is old and feeling like he did at the time of his death on earth again; sad; lonely; despairing	Eddie has just learned that love never dies from Marguerite, but then she has left him again. He misses her. He sees Tala, and he discovers that he accidentally killed her; he is devastated, and feels like he didn’t do anything with his life.
Falling Action	Hopeful; peaceful; enlightened	Tala reveals to Eddie that it was no accident that he worked at Ruby Pier; he was supposed to be there, and that because of his work, he kept many children safe. In doing so, he has made up for what he did to Tala.
Resolution	Enlightened; pain-free; at home	Now that Eddie has learned all that he needs to learn, he feels free and filled with understanding about his life. He is reunited with Marguerite, and he is now waiting in line to greet Amy or Annie when she arrives.

Template and Class Instructions

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