Marguerite tells Eddie that she also met five people in heaven, and learned things, and that she has waited for him ever since then. She tells Eddie that she remembers everything that happened when they were together, but that she now knows why it all happened.
Marguerite is the central source of Eddie's happiness, and his life plunges when she dies of brain cancer at the age of 47. In heaven, she takes Eddie to a heaven full of weddings, where she teaches him that true love never dies.
The people Eddie meets are- the Blue Man, the Captain, Ruby, his wife Marguerite, and Tala(read the book to know their stories). Surprisingly, out of all these five people, it is Tala- a young girl, who Eddie meets for the first time(in heaven, no less!), who had the most profound impact on him.
Marguerite in The Five People You Meet in Heaven is Eddie's wife. She died young and in his afterlife, Eddie has to deal with his unresolved feelings regarding her death.
She tells Eddie that he needs to forgive his father. Eddie meets his late wife, Marguerite. They remember their wedding, and Marguerite teaches Eddie that love is never lost in death; it just moves on and takes a different form.
Marguerite - Marguerite was the love of Eddie's life; when he was young he met her at the pier and she then continued to be the happiness in Eddie's life. Marguerite was always there for Eddie and never stopped providing him with unconditional love.
The second person Eddie meets in heaven is his captain from World War II. They fought together in the Philippines where Eddie's troop, including the captain, was taken prisoner by four Filipino guards. Eddie, the captain, and three other soldiers were held in a bunker and forced to work in a coal mine all day.
In heaven, Eddie walks with Marguerite, as the two revel in every detail of each other's presence. She tells him she chose a heaven full of weddings because she loves the moment when a man and woman say their vows, when they believe so deeply in the power of their love.
It feels like he doesn't need another woman in his life again. Rizky Nurfajri It made Eddie feel angry at Marguerite for leaving him so young that it made his life unhappy and unfulfilled, but he still felt in love with her after her death.
Eddie was born in an apartment near Ruby Pier. He grew up there. His father was also a maintenance man at Ruby Pier. Except for the years he was away in the Philippines during WWII, Eddie lived and worked at Ruby Pier his entire life.
Eddie saves the little girl - We find out at the end of the novel that Eddie did save the little girl from the falling amusement cart. It is important to note the symbolism of this child's rescue.
Marguerite was the only happiness in Eddie's life. She is the fourth person he meets in heaven and she teaches him the lesson that love is not lost with death. The fifth person Eddie meets in heaven. Tala was the little girl who Eddie saw crawling into the burning fort during the war.
"The Arrival." Eddie wakes up in a teacup on one of the rides on Ruby Pier and finds that he can get out without his cane. He feels wonderful but alone and surprised to find that he is still at Ruby Pier. It is different, though. It is the Ruby Pier of his childhood, seventy-five years ago.
The fifth person Eddie meets in Heaven is a young girl name Tala. Eddie accidentally caused her death during the war. Tala, the fifth person Eddie meets in Heaven, helps him make peace with himself and his life.
She is a reflection of Eddie's mother, as she is both obese and also inordinately anxious about Eddie's health. In the novel, Myra tries to reason with Eddie to keep him from leaving, going so far as to blackmail him with guilt about leaving her alone.
While her husband was deployed for most of Christopher's first years, she was left alone to take care of him, which put a lot of stress on her. After Eddie returned, she left her and Eddie's home in Texas to take care of her sick mom, while also getting away from her marital issues with Eddie.
Eddie and Marguerite got married but never had children. Eddie's stubbornness ruined their chances at adoption - Marguerite got in a car accident while driving to reconcile with him after a fight, and the subsequent medical costs meant that they could no longer afford to adopt a child.
16. What is the last thing Eddie remembers physically feeling before he dies? The little girl's hands in his own. 17.
During the fifth lesson, Tala tells Eddie that his life did have a purpose: he was meant to work at Ruby Pier and keep the children safe.
Ultimately, Marguerite propositions one of the boys from her neighborhood to have sex with her, which he does. This is a disappointing experience for her, and doesn't offer much in clarifying her curiosities about lesbianism or becoming a woman. It does, however, leave her pregnant.
The character of Eddie and the conceit of "The Five People You Meet In Heaven" was inspired by Albom's uncle who felt like he was a nobody. During a near-death experience he said he saw five of his relatives waiting on the edge of his bed. "I think that unfortunately a lot of people in America feel that way.
He calls this first chapter, The End, to emphasize that although it is the end of Eddie's life, it is the beginning of the journey on which he will embark, in heaven, to find meaning and significance in himself and his life; ironically, The End, is also the beginning of the novel.
The final and most powerful lesson in the book comes from a little girl named Tala. Tala was a small girl hiding inside a barn which Eddie burned down while he was in the war. Tala's message is the most powerful in the book. Her lesson is that regardless of a person's actions, all lives have purpose.
Redemption and Forgiveness
Throughout the novel, Eddie's encounters with the five people he meets in heaven teach him about the surprising ways in which life and death offer opportunities for redemption.
Eddie stops praying because Rabozzo's death symbolizes the men's sense of abandonment by God.