“It is through literature that we learn about life. Through literature we profit from the experiences of others, comparing them with our own.” - Bob Cameron

The essay question: Using reader-response theory and the quote by Bob Cameron, discuss how effectively Mitch Albom, author of Tuesdays with Morrie, uses plot and story, character development, point of view, theme, and symbols to convey his mesage. Include your personal thoughts and views, as well as textual references, to support your opinions.

In Mitch Albom’s Tuesday’s with Morrie, Albom detailed his personal experiences with his professor Morrie Schwartz. Mitch also expressed how influential Morrie was to his friends, relatives, patients, and coworkers. Within this essay, …show more content…

Using reader response theory, I feel this was effective in communicating the life lessons that Mitch had learned. From analyzing the point of view, the theme of the memoir shone through.

The theme of the memoir was to explain that the greatest lesson in life was love. This can be backed by how the author worded the title; that money does not fulfil one's life, and that people “need be at peace with [their] desires” (177). The title of the novel, in full, was Tuesdays with Morrie: an old man, a young man, and life’s greatest lesson. From the title, one can identify that the underlying reason for picking the book up and deciding to read it would, at least partially, be based on the reader wanting to learn about “life’s greatest lesson”. One of the lessons Morrie communicated within memoir a was about the value of money and wealth. Morrie’s mentally ill and depressed patients were “well-off, from rich families, [but] their wealth did not buy them happiness or contentment” (111). The lesson that Morrie was trying to convey was that people should strive for their dreams, and it was through literature that Morrie hoped this lesson would be learned. After reading the book, it can be derived that the major theme of the memoir was to be at peace with what one desires, and that was Mitch’s greatest lesson of his life.

Some of the symbols of the memoir was Morrie’s dying hibiscus plant, the