Tuesdays with Morrie

So here was this little book, nestled gently in my cradling hands, holding it ever so close to my chest like a newborn infant. This little book, so delicate with its small size, dressed snuggly in a buttermilk dust jacket, just like a little private fireside diary, was ready for me to read! This little book proved to be such a life- changing novel! It was such a tiny precious little keepsake overflowing with private memories, secret feelings, and morals. It was one of those books that appeared to get pushed aside by the most critical of book- cover judging readers, or gobbled to the back of the bookshelf by the arrogant array of encyclopedias, or have dust collected on it because of its simplistic little size. For many readers would assume that a little book must have incomplete content that lacks of depth. Tuesdays with Morrie proves these assumptions as inaccurate. Through the moving philosophies of Morrie about the proper way to live life, and Mitch Albom's writing style, he involves his audience completely,to allow them to feel close to Morrie. The book moved me and proved to be a life- changing element in my life.
This very powerful memoir revolves around a college professor Morrie, and his past student Mitch Albom many years later. Morrie, is an elderly man battling with a fatal illness called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The disease affects the motor skills and nervous system,consuming the person entirely, depleating them of everyday freedoms such as walking, breathing, and using the bathroom. Even though morrie is suffering horribly from this disorder, he meets with his most beloved student about how to live life. Morrie does not feel sorry for himself, or want pity from others. He instead talks to people about how to make their lives more meaningful, and how to appreciate the small things in life. Morrie includes that living life through love is the best way to live life. He says that everyone should be forgiven, and that no grudges can be held. Morrie talks sbout marriage and its importance, the forgiveness of oneself,the importance of portraying emotion, and many others. As Morrie's philosophies become increasingly more emotionally evoking, his illness progresses worse. The more I fell in love with Morrie and his philosophies, the closer he was to dying.
This novel may look small, but the content that lies inside this novel is grandiloquent. It is magnificent because of how uplifting the content is. The book isn't about pity of death and dying,but it is about life and how people need to let go of all the unimportant things like money, work, and fame, and appreciate family, friends, and the spotanaety of life. The genius writing style of Albom made me fall in love with Morrie immediately because of his emotional delicacy of his writing. Albom's writing felt like I could feel his heart and gentle love for Morrie.It felt as though I were inside of Morrie's house,one of his very students, I felt like I had known Morrie my whole entire life while reading this book. I developed a deep relationship with Morrie and his teachings, crying,and laughing as I read. I learned to forgive myself, and I learned to appreciate life as I read.
Mitch Albon gained this deep emotional response from me because he wrote from his heart when describing his beloved professor Morrie, who became a life- long friend, and a philosopher to Albom. " I blinked back the tears, and he smacked his lips together and raised his eyebrows at the sight of my face. I like to think it was a fleeting moment of satisfaction for my dear old professor: he had finally made me cry." This quote evoked a tremendous emotional response from me. It is when Albom kisses Morrie, the most intimate contact made in the entire novel between the two friends. Albom had told Morie in the beginning of the novel that nothing could ever make him cry, and Morrie gave him the gift of crying for his first time. This quote shows the intimate growth of trust and friendship that Morrie and Albom cultivated together over the course of fourteen weeks together. Albom, a strong man, has never yet cried before, and finally, he succumbs to his feelings by shedding tears for his beloved teacher.

This book is so powerful because Albom creatively uses a particular writing style that created a strong relationship between the characters and I. The way that this relationship was built had a strong foundation from the beginning, and as the author went on, the relationship grew stronger and more intimate. This bond leads to a catharsis. A catharsis is the emotional release at the end when Morrie finally passes on. This catharsis is only effective to bring strong emotional response if the midsection of the book was strong. It was Albom's choice as an author to make this book writing style technique to rely on these two things: philosophy, or Morrie's outlook on how to properly live life,as well as taking care to show the progression of severity with Morrie's illness.
Albom structures the book in week by week manner meaning, that every Tuesday that Morrie was visited, a new philosophy unit would be discussed as if the reader were one of Morrie's students. In fact, the book mirrors be almost a similar college class that Professor Morrie would be teach, just like old times. The book cleverly starts out as the curriculum. And Albom puts, " The class met on Tuesdays. The subject was the meaning of life. "No grades were given, but there were oral exams every week"... (1). Albom then creatively puts in chapters like the Syllabus, the Student, the Audiovisual ,and the Orientation. These choices made it felt like I was also attending these "classes" with Albom, and that I felt like a student, which created a closer bond between Morrie and I to aid in the succession of that end catharsis. The book made it felt like I was attending a college course and learning the course of "living life." This approach makes the reader and characters feel so close, so personal, and because of that one-to -one approach,it takes the novel to a whole different approach. The bbok felt like the reader was in that very classroom with Morrie.
The depth of the philosophy units became much more deep and personal towards the end, so there was a progression of much more significant emotional depth towards the end.This emotional build was felt through the reader through Albom's deep connections with Morrie. The bonds between them had grown so intimate and sentimental, and as a result, I felt a growth of emotional attachment with Morrie. This rise of sentimental bonding occurred because the first few lessons were very much specific because the two men were just getting to know each other, and needed to feel comfortable with each other before the more emotionsl material came out. As the time spent between the two increased, the comfort level also increased, and therefore, they began to talk about life from the heart because of the brotherly love the two developed with each other.
Not only was there progression in the emotional depth of the philosophies, but also regarding the health of Morrie. If Albom wanted to have success with that heart- breaking catharsis, he needed to show the advancement of the severity of Morrie's illness. Morrie's lethal battle with ALS is the progression of weakness was finely mastered by Albom's writing technique. As the book progressed, I couldn't help but notice Morrie's weakening condition. It is absolutely bone- chilling how precise and realistic Albom can convey the ALS in the story. He has it down to such a science, that it left my skin crawling and my legs numb. " ALS is like a lit candle: it melts your nerves and leaves your body a pile of wax. Often, it begins with the legs and works its way up. You lose control of your thigh muscles, so that you cannot support yourself standing... by the end if you are still alive, you are breathing through a tube with a hole in your throat, while your soul, perfectly awake, is imprisoned inside a limp husk..." (10). This quote is just so unbelievably haunting. It shoots tingles throughout my spine. This disease is one that can entirely envelope the human body, leaving nothing untouched but the soul. And this is Albom's nice quote in the beginning, remember, that it gets progressively worse!This quote is around the end of the novel, and it intensifies in greusome content, " The lump of his form was so withered that I almost thought there was something missing. He was as small as a child. His mouth was open, and his skin was tight against his cheekbones..." (183). This is another horrific quote that conveys Morrie's last weeks of life. When I fell in attachment with Morrie, and heard his philosophies, and his love for helping others, the pain grows heavy on my soul as Morrie grew increasingly weaker. This is why it hurts when I read this book, because I love Morrie, and I don't want him to die. The fact is, he is going to die, and it just is conveyed so realistically in the book. Not only did the pain of Morrie's also cause emotional reaction, but also the ending when Morrie is dead at the funeral. " You talk, I'll listen," he said. " I tried doing that in my head and, to my happiness, found that the imagined conversation felt almost natural. I looked down at my hands, saw my watch, and realized why. It was Tuesday" (188). Well, that really made me cry! Gosh, that passage was just so moving. I think that from now on, everyday that it is Tuesday, I will think about dear Morrie and his moving philosophies.
Morrie wasn't just any man. He was a special man that used his life to reach out to other. Even though he was in excruciating pain, to the point that he couldn't talk, he still braced the pain to give out words of wisdom to his beloved student. Morrie talked about how people should learn to forgive themselves and others, and not hold grudges. Sometimes we do the wrong things, and sometimes we hurt others, and sometimes others hurt us. No matter the circumstance, Morrie tells his audience to forgive everyone else, including oneself.
Morrie and Albom made such a perfect team together. Between the moving philosophies of Morrie, and his life changing words, to the genius writing style of Albom, this book would have never made as great as an impact without both men together. These men not only shared their great story, but they made great friends. Even in death, Morrie still has someone to talk to. Albom talks to Morrie every Tuesday, because nothing has changed except that Morrie no longer has a body as frail as a child's, his eyes no longer dull,or his lungs no longer fluid- filled. Morrie is free at last. His soul has escaped the shell that once forced him to live in pain and misery. Morrie lives in Albom, and he can live in both you and me. I recommend everyone to read Tuesdays with Morrie, and to be affected as deeply as I have been.
This cream covered memoir has proven false many of the accusations of people that say small books are either rushed or meager. This novel made me laugh, cry, tingle with freight, and understand my morality that death is imminent. I now understand that I need to forgive myself and others, to treat others with love and care. I forever know in my heart that my heart will always have a place for dear Morrie.