Matthew Snyder
Tuesdays With Morrie Tuesdays with Morrie, written by Mitch Albom, is a story about life. Morrie Schwartz, a sociology teacher, and his best student, Mitch Albom, lose connection after he graduates and his life turns in a completely different direction. Years later though Morrie is diagnosed with a debilitating disease (ALS) that lands him on national T.V. where Mitch gains his motivation to reconnect with him before time is up. During their final Tuesdays together Mitch faces a lot of symbols that relates to his and Morrie’s life and their relationship together. Just a few symbols described during their time together were Morrie’s bed, Morrie’s wish of becoming a Gazelle, and the wave story Morrie told Mitch was a symbol in itself. “When you’re in bed, you’re dead” (131, Mitch Albom). This was one of Morrie’s first and most meaningful aphorism in the book but the symbol was the Morrie’s bed itself. The bed represents the surrendering of his body too the disease in the book. Morrie wakes up every morning and immediately gets out of bed and moves to another room in the house, mostly he goes to his study where all his books are. When you are in bed your not doing anything, your not being productive with your day. When your laying in bed 24/7 with nothing better to do but stair at the ceiling and roll over every once in a while, it turns into your prison or even worse, your grave. If Morrie was to be reincarnated, what would he be? “If I had a choice, a Gazelle” (108, Mitch Albom). “Yes. So graceful. So fast” (108, Mitch Albom). The gazelle is a symbol of the life Morrie wants to have and the abilities he doesn’t. Morrie, in his current condition, is becoming more and more trapped in his own body. The Gazelle is free, fast, and so graceful. Morrie use to be that way when he danced and swam so he would love to be that way again. “Okay. The story is about a little wave, bobbing along in the ocean, having a grand old time. He’s enjoying the wind and the fresh air- until he notices the other waves in front of him, crashing against the shore.
“‘My God, this is terrible,’ the wave says. ‘Look what’s going to happen ton me!’
“Then along comes another wave. It sees the first wave, looking grim, and it says to him, ‘Why do you look so sad?’
“The first wave says, ‘You don’t understand! We’re all going to crash! All of us waves are going to be nothing! Isn’t it terrible?’
“The second wave says, ‘No, you don’t understand. You’re not a wave , you’re apart of the ocean’ “ (179-180, Mitch Albom) The wave in this story that Morrie heard from his friend represents himself facing the imminent death he will have to face, or him crashing into the shore. His friend telling him this story was like the other wave that came along. He explains to him that he isn’t just a wave on his own but he is really apart of the ocean, or life. When he crashes into the shore, it’s not the end of his journey or life, but he actually becomes apart of something bigger again, the ocean itself, or is just recycled back into nature.
Many symbols in the book such as Morrie’s bed, the Gazelle, and the wave story were all important throughout the book. They were symbols, to Morrie, of life and how to except death and the fears that come with it. Over the years, as he aged, he grew wiser and when he learned of his disease, he was given the opportunity to face death and die in peace. During this time these symbols were very strong in Morrie’s everyday life and it gave him the peace of mind that allowed him to die in peace.

Matthew Snyder

Tuesdays With Morrie Work Cited

Albom, Mitch, Tuesdays with Morrie. New York: Broadway Books, 1997.