Morrie Schwartz

He is a Sociology professor at Brandeis University. Teacher of Mitch Albom who still

connects with his student and as he battled ALS, Mitch meets with him every Tuesday to
discuss a multitude of life's topics. These Tuesday meetings became Morrie's final lesson with
Mitch.

Mitch Albom
He is the author of the book itself. He was a student of Morrie who promised to
keep in touch following his college graduation. However, life happened and Mitch and
Morrie lost connection. Mitch became a sports journalist in Detroit. After seeing his old
professor years later on an ABC show, Mitch reconnects with Morrie. The two agreed to
meet every Tuesday, where Mitch records the lessons he learns from his professor as their
final thesis, years after he had graduated.

Charlotte Schwartz
Charlotte is Morrie's wife. She's the one who kept the food that Mitch brings for the
weekly meetings and gives Mitch updates on Morrie's health.

Ted Koppel
He is a journalist and host of 'Nightline', a TV show who featured the story of Morrie
and show that gives way for Mitch to keep in touch with his professor again. Ted and
Morrie also establish a friendship, as Morrie was able to break down the hardened
journalist's guard. Ted does a 3-part series on Morrie, up until Morrie's death.

Connie
One of the people who took care of Morrie. A good, compassionate friend to
Morrie.
Morrie's Mother
Her name was not mentioned, but Morrie lost his mother when he was seven years
old. From this, Morrie learned that life can go on after a death.

David
He is Morrie's brother. He contracted Polio after the death of their mother. Morrie
blamed himself for this, as David awoke unable to move one morning, after a day of
playing together in the rain. David spent his childhood with braces on his legs. From his
brother's disease, Morrie was able to be compassioniate at a very young age.

Charlie
He is Morrie's father. He became hardened after the death of his wife. He came to
America to escape the Russian army. He was uneducated, poor, and did not speak English
well. Morrie was disappointed that he never felt the love or warmth from his father. Charlie
took Morrie to the fur factory. Morrie absolutely hated it and promised himself never to
work in a factory.

Eva
She was Morrie's stepmother and a Romanian immigrant. She married Charlie the
year after the death of Morrie's mother. Morrie received the love he longed for from Eva.
She used to sing to Morrie nightly, something he loved about having a mother.

Peter
He is Mitch's brother. They lost touch after Peter was diagnosed with cancer and
wanted to fight the disease on his own, away from family and friends. Through Morrie's
lessons, Mitch realized the importance of family and is able to reach out and make a
connection with him.

Mitch' Uncle
Brother of her mother. The one who taught him music and the one he idolizes. He was
diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Mitch lived with his uncle until the last days of his uncle's
life who died at the age of forty-four. The death of his uncle made him decide, not to live
life like that and not to pursue his dream-to be a musician.

Janine
She is wife of Mitch. Mitch took her to Morrie when they had their tenth Tuesday
meeting (when they had talked about marriage). Janine got to sing lines to Morrie that he
loved to hear those.

Rob and Jon

They are sons of Morrie. They got to be on their father's side to take care of him
before Morrie died.

Marsha
She is Charlotte's cousin. She had written a poem for Morrie when they conducted a
"living funeral" for him, a poem that likened him to a 'tender sequoia'.

Maurie Stein
A friend of Morrie, his fellow Brandeis professor who was so taken with his
'aphorisms' that he sent them to a Boston Globe reporter, who came out and wrote a long
feature story on Morrie, which made him to be interviewed by Ted Koppel.

Brandeis University
University located in the city of Waltham, Massachusetts and is where Mitch and
Morrie first meet and spent the first portion of their relationship together as Morrie, the
Sociology professor and Mitch, the student. It was year 1979.

Morrie's Home
Located in Boston suburb of West Newton, Schwartz's home is the setting for most of
the scenes in the story. Although their early visit takes place in the dining room or kitchen
and their last in the bedroom, the majority of their visits take place in Morrie's study, a room
 lined with shelves full of books and family photos and where Morrie used to tell his life
lessons.

Mitch' Uncle's Apartment

it was in New York City, where Mitch headed to offer his talent but seemed not to
be the destined profession for him. Also, where his uncle lived, where he had noticed the
withering of his uncle's body because of pancreatic cancer, and death at the age of forty-
four.

Detroit
place where Mitch lived and met his wife, Janine. Place where he took the job—as
columnist in Detroit Free Press, later on he became sports writer and used to appear in
televisions spouting his opinions regarding players and sports.

Church in Harvard Square

church where Morrie used to dance every Wednesday.

Mitch was a student of Brandeis University where Morrie Schwartz was teaching Sociology
subject. He and Morrie became friends, and after graduation in 1979, he promised Morrie that
he won't lost connection with him. But as Mitch pursued his dream—to become musician, he went in
New York City where his uncle—the one he looked up to, and its family lived, but as he noticed
his uncle withering and dying because of its pancreatic cancer, that became a turning point for
him not to live that life and stop his dream to become musician and live life with accomplishments.

While Morrie faced his death sentence in 1994 where he gave up dancing, he had
developed asthma, began to have trouble in walking, and it was August when the neurologist
diagnosed Morrie had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a brutal, unforgiving illness of the
neurological system. And there was no known cure for it. But the idea of quitting did not occur to
Morrie. He came up with the decision— he will still continue to live his life. He still managed to
teach but that became a struggle for him since his body is deteriorating because of his illness.
Morrie’s doctors guessed he had two years left. Morrie knew it was less. He told himself, would
not be ashamed of dying. Instead, he would make his death his final project, the center point of
his days. Since everyone was going to die, he could be of great value. He could be a research. A
human textbook. On his house, he entertained a growing stream of visitors. He had discussion
groups about dying, what it really meant, how societies had always been afraid of it without
necessarily understanding it. When a colleague at Brandeis died suddenly of a heart attack, his
small group of friends and family decided to conduct for a “living funeral" for him. Morrie's
health is declining yet he refused to be depressed, instead, Morrie had become a lightning rod of
ideas. He jotted down his thoughts, He wrote bite-sized philosophies about living with death’s
shadow which he shared with his friends. One friend, a fellow Brandeis professor named Maurie
Stein, was so taken with the words that he sent them to a Boston Globe reporter, who came out
and wrote a long feature story on Morrie. The article caught the eye of a producer from the
“Nightline” show, who brought it to Koppel to interview Morrie, they had talked about the
condition of Morrie where Morrie said that he decided to live his remaining time, the way he want,
with dignity, with courage, with humor, with composure.

When Mitch had watched the 'Nightline', he went to Boston where Morrie lived. Morrie
welcomed him a hug. They talked about Morrie's condition and his incoming death made him to
become more interested to people. He told Mitch, people saw him as a bridge. He was not as
alive as he used to be, but he was not yet dead. He's sort of…in-between. He was on the last
great journey—and people want him to tell them what to pack.

Mitch had realized his days were full, yet he remained, much of the time, unsatisfied. As
Morrie told that so many people walk around with a meaningless life. And their Tuesday meeting
started. They talked about the world, feeling sorry for themselves, death, family's love, emotions,
fear of aging, money, how you stay alive, even after you are gone, marriage, culture, forgiveness.
On Ted's second interview to Morrie, he recalled his life when he was young. His mother died
when he was eight years old. His dad was the only one who took care of them— he and his
brother, David. David had polio. Morrie felt responsible after those happenings. Because of the
Depression, Morrie’s father found even less work in the fur business and he took Morrie to a fur
factory where he worked. But a saving embrace came into Morrie’s life the following year when
Eva, his new stepmother came. Eva would kiss them good-night, sing them lullaby and he felt that
he had a mother again. Eva saw education as the only antidote to their poverty. Because of Eva,
Morrie was taught to love and to care and to learn. It was only through default that the best
profession he could ever had is to become a teacher.

It was thirteenth Tuesday that they talked about the Perfect day, and for Morrie that
perfect day is spending the day as an average person. On their last Tuesday-the fourteenth
Tuesday, they said goodbye. Charlotte welcomed Mitch, and telling that Morrie's health isn't
doing well but still Morrie wanted to see Mitch. As Morrie patted Mitch' hand on his chest was his
way of saying goodbye. It was fourth of November when Morrie died, someone got to grab
coffee since the coma began, Morrie stopped breathing. And it was Tuesday when everyone said
goodbye to Morrie.

1. How did Morrie take his disease? What made him decide to consult a professional?
Morrie had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) which is an unforgiving illness of the
neurological system maybe because Morrie is aging and different illnesses attack persons who
are getting old. Morrie decided to consult a doctor when he weren't able to dance and he gave
up dancing, he had developed asthma, began to have trouble in walking and when he had
stopped driving because he weren't able to control his hands and legs and when he had dreamt
he's dying.

2. Why did Morrie conduct a living eulogy? How did he view death?
Morrie conducted a "living funeral or eulogy" when a colleague at Brandeis died
suddenly of a heart attack, and for him it was a waste because people get to say wonderful
things onto you and you'd never got to hear it through your ears because you're no longer here.
Since he knew to himself that he remains not that longer enough to hear what other people will
say onto him, why not to hear those while he is here. And Morrie view death not a synonymous
one to useless that everyone shouldn't be ashamed of, death is as natural as life, he viewed death
as the time you have to make everything out of yourself since short time is remaining because
there's no such thing as "too late" in life and death wouldn't be useless if you had inspired people
so he will make his death-his final project. Since everyone is going to die, why couldn't be of a
great value? "Study me in my slow and patient demise. Watch what happens to me. Learn with me."
Morrie would walk that final bridge between life and death, and going to narrate the trip.
3. Discuss each tuesday with the teacher and his lessons.
On their first tuesday, they talked about the world. It was Morrie worrying that pretty
soon someone gonna have to wipe his ass—an ultimate sign of dependency but he's trying to
enjoy the process since he got to be a baby one more time. And great lesson for that first tuesday
that the most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.

Second Tuesday, they talked about feeling sorry for themselves. Morrie mourns every
morning for what he had lost. He mourned the slow, insidious way in which he was dying. But then
he stop mourning, he will just give himself a good cry if he needs it then he will concentrate on all
the good things still in his life, this gives Mitch a lesson of trusting—if you are ever going to have
other people trust you, you must feel that you can trust them, too—even when you’re in the dark.

Third Tuesday, they talked about regrets. On their fourth Tuesday, they talked about
death. Believing that you will die, you'll prepare for it at any time which is better. The way you
can actually be more involved in your life while you’re living because once you learn how to die,
you learn how to live—live life without love for materialistic things.

Fifth Tuesday, they talked about family, if you don’t have the support and love and caring
and concern that you get from a family, you don’t have much at all because love is so supremely
important. This meeting of them, reminded and missed Mitch of his brother, Peter who fought his
cancer just by himself in Spain.

Sixth Tuesday, they talked about emotions. Throwing yourself into such emotions, by
allowing yourself to dive in, all the way, over your head even, you experience them fully and
completely. You know what pain is. You know what love is. You know what grief is. And only then
you could say that all right you have experienced that emotion. You recognize that emotion. Now
you need to detach from that emotion for a moment, it's just like turning on the faucet. You could
wash yourself with the emotion. It won’t hurt you. It will only help.

Seventh Tuesday, they talked about the fear of aging. As you grow, you learn more,
aging is not just decay, it’s growth. It’s more than the negative that you’re going to die, it’s also
the positive that you understand you’re going to die, and that you live a better life because of it.
If you’re always battling against getting older, you’re always going to be unhappy, because it
will happen anyhow.
 On eighth Tuesday they talked about money. Others put their values in the wrong things
and it leads to very disillusioned lives. You can’t substitute material things for love or for
gentleness or for tenderness or for a sense of comradeship because money is not a substitute for
tenderness, and power is not a substitute for tenderness. You start to get respect by offering
something that you have.

On ninth Tuesday, they talked about how love goes on that love is how you stay alive,
even after you are gone. Tenth Tuesday, they talked about marriage where Mitch brought his
wife, Janine together with him. Morrie's condition was worsening but still he got to manage give
life lessons. According to him, in this culture, it’s so important to find a loving relationship with
someone because so much of the culture does not give you that. Others got divorced because they
don’t know what they want in a partner. They don’t know who they are themselves—so how can
they know who they’re marrying? Love is about respect, if you don’t respect the other person,
you’re gonna have a lot of trouble. If you don’t know how to compromise, you’re gonna have a lot
of trouble. And if you don’t have a common set of values in life, you’re gonna have a lot of
trouble. Your values must be alike— your belief in the importance of your marriage.

On the eleventh Tuesday, they talked about Culture. The meeting where Mitch noticed
Morrie’s disease was then dangerously close to his surrender spot, his lungs. He said, others start
making money a god and it is all part of this culture. You have to build you own little subculture,
the way we think, what we value—those we must choose for ourselves. We can’t let anyone—or
any society—determine those for us. Ted Koppel interviewed Morrie.

Twelfth Tuesday, they talked about forgiveness. Forgive yourself before you die. Then
forgive others. The thirteenth Tuesday, they talked about the Perfect day and Morrie wanted to
be cremated. When Mitch asked him, what he would do if he has one day perfectly healthy,
Mitch assumed Morrie would answer to do things he find exotic but still Morrie find perfection in
such an average day. As long as we can love each other, and remember the feeling of love we
had, we can die without ever really going away. All the love you created is still there. All the
memories are still there. You live on—in the hearts of everyone you have touched and nurtured
while you were here because death ends a life, not a relationship.

On fourteenth Tuesday, they said goodbye. Charlotte welcomed Mitch, and telling that
Morrie's health isn't doing well but still Morrie wanted to see Mitch. As Morrie patted Mitch' hand
on his chest was his way of saying goodbye.
4. Why did Mitch keep on bringing food to Morrie even though he knew that the latter can no
longer eat solid food?
It has been Mitch' tradition to bring food to Morrie. When they had their first Tuesday
meeting, Mitch brings food though there was plenty of food at the house, but because he wanted
to contribute something and he was so powerless to help Morrie otherwise. And he remembered
Morrie's fondness for eating which starts for him to bring food to Morrie everytime they will be
having their Tuesday meeting. And when you're so close to the person though you're losing them,
you still holding on the tradition you are doing.

5. With their immediate family:

a. How is the relationship of Morrie to his father? What did he realize when he saw his
father's corpse on the morgue? Why?
Charlie Schwartz wasn't able to prove his role as David and Morrie's father, Morrie saw
him: a quiet man who liked to read his newspaper, alone; man who had scolded him and molded
him; man who taught him to work; man who had been quiet when Morrie wanted him to speak;
and man who had told Morrie to swallow his memories of his mother when he wanted to share
them with the world. Just a man and not a father of him. When Morrie saw his father's corpse, he
realized of things he wanted to happen in future, there would be a lots of holding and kissing,
talking and laughter, no good-byes left unsaid, all the things he missed with his father and his
mother and where his loved ones are around him, knowing what was happening. No one would
get a phone call, or a telegram, or have to look through a glass window in some cold and foreign
basement.

b. Why does the brother of Mitch decide to stay away from them during the time he needs
them most? How did Mitch take this?
Maybe because Peter doesn’t want Mitch and their family interrupting their life. Maybe
he can’t deal with that burden with them. He doesn't want his family to worry on him at all that's
why he went in Spain, flying back and forth to a hospital in Amsterdam. Mitch had just accept
what Peter wants as Morrie told him that he will get back to his brother maybe not right now but
later.

6. Expound the tension of opposites.

Tension of opposites reminds us on how life runs on us that life is a series of pulls back and
forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else. Something hurts you, yet
you know it shouldn’t. You take certain things for granted, even when you know you should never
take anything for granted. Life has choices and we people have to choose, tension of opposites is
like a pull on a rubber band where most of us live somewhere in the middle-and that leads
people to have unsatisfied lives. But love always wins in which where our hearts belong, we should
go forward for it because that will gives us satiable lives that we won't regret.

7. How did the story end? How come no one was around when Morrie died?
The story ends where everyone especially Morrie's family and Mitch say their last
goodbye to Morrie's last funeral which was Tuesday. Morrie died when his loved ones whose
seeing him had left the room just for a moment—to grab coffee in the kitchen, the first time none
of them were with him since the coma began then Morrie stopped breathing. For Mitch, it's
Morrie's purpose to die without someone's witnessing his death, he wanted no chilling moments, no
one to witness his last breath and be haunted by it, the way he had been haunted by his mother’s
death-notice telegram or by his father’s corpse in the city morgue. He wanted to go serenely, and
that is how he went.

We all have teachers, who can be our parents, our friends, who could give and teach us
life lessons that would be our foundation to live life with contentment, with dignity, with courage,
with humor, and with composure. Teacher Morrie wanted us to be more open, to ignore the lure of
advertised values, to pay attention when our loved ones are speaking, as if it were the last time
we might hear them because life is too short, time flies so fast and if we don't cherish every
moment we should spent with our loved ones, we would lament and dwell from the past, wishing
to get back to the time where we could still touch, hug, show and say our love for our loved ones.
It is not too late for everything, that's what Morrie wanted to tell us, not just because someone is
dying he shall not have concern for things because dying is not synonymous to useless, the more
you appreciate death, the more you appreciate life.

Living life with contentment is a happy life. It's the ambition to become millionaire is the
thing that drives us to live a sinuous life which is an unhappy life. Today's culture that everyone
used to live is that money that could save us all which is not, because it is love that saves us all, the
root of all good things. "Do the kinds of things that come from the heart. When you do, you won’t
be dissatisfied, you won’t be envious, you won’t be longing for somebody else’s things. On the
contrary, you’ll be overwhelmed with what comes back." It is love that satisfies our needs and
wants.

It's indeed a blessing to have a teacher—one who saw us as a raw but precious thing, a
jewel that, with wisdom, could be polished to a proud shine. Maybe I'm still a student because I
haven't met the Teacher Morrie of mine.