Essay Sample: They Both Die at the End

What if individuals received a call the day they were going to die? Of course, society does not alert anyone when they are going to die because it is simply unknown. Even doctors who give out terminal illness diagnosis never know exactly when their patient is going to die. In the book They Both Die at the End, it is reality for them. Adam Silvera wrote They Both Die at the End to show how connected the world is to each other, and how knowing when one is going to die changes a person. By using repetition, strands, and contrast throughout the book as well as foreshadowing and irony, the moral of the story is revealed to the reader as well as keeps the reader captivated throughout the whole book.  

The first few chapters of the book introduce the two main characters, Mateo and Rufus, and give the reader an understanding of their characteristics and what makes them different yet the same. We were introduced to both characters at the moment they received their call from death cast that they were going to die today. Mateo instantly answered the phone because he knew he would not be able to escape the inevitable while Rufus was in denial of the call and waited until they called back to answer it and yet the roles were reversed once the phone call ended. Rufus accepted his fate and had a funeral with his friends while Mateo did everything he could to delay accepting what would happen later that day. Mateo was portrayed as a homebody who is germaphobic and nerdy. Mateo used cleaning and video games to delay making the best of his last day in fear of what was going to make him die. Rufus was portrayed as more of a dare devil who did not want to spend his last day cooped up at foster care. At the beginning, Rufus and Mateo were complete opposites who no one would have imagined being friends, but since they were dying and neither wanted to die alone or have those they loved around them, they joined the “Last Friend” app and met each other. When they both knew they were going to die they had complete opposite reactions. Mateo and Rufus’s relationship was the true definition of opposites attract. Throughout the book Mateo and Rufus’s personalities ended up balancing out well and kept them safe from death for most of the book.

Mateo was the one who wanted to do safe activities where death had almost a zero percent chance of happening. It obviously would not be exactly zero because they were Deckers which is repeated in the book multiple times and means that person is dying today. These people get exclusive discounts on food, activities, and other things they want to do on that day because it is their last one. Even though it is normal in their society for people to know when they are dying, not everyone in the book agreed with it. On page thirty, Rufus mentions how churches would shun Death-Cast, the business that calls people to tell them they are dying, for their “’unholy visions from Satan’” but keeps their doors open twenty-four seven for Deckers who want to spend their last day praying and repenting. Then there are those in society who have full embraced Death-Cast and chose to work together with it.

Those who work at places specifically for Deckers have a challenging time wondering if their job is doing any good. On page three hundred fifty-nine, Victor Gallaher, a man who works at Death-Cast and was the one to deliver the news to Rufus, discussed how there is therapy for all the employees there because the weight of the job can be too much. On page two hundred forty-five, a girl named Deirdre Clayton who works at the Travel Arena that Mateo and Rufus visited went skydiving. Though Deirdre did not receive a Death-Cast call, she was determined to prove them wrong by jumping off the roof of a building. It was not until she saw Mateo and Rufus looking happy down below that she decided to get down. Deirdre thought if they could be happy knowing they were going to die today then she could live her life happily too without the weight of knowing she was dying at any second. Death-Cast does not just affect those who get the call or those who work together with them, but it also affects those close to the ones who received the call.

Malcom and Tagoe, Rufus’s two best friends, were devastated when Rufus received the call as they watched him beat up his ex’s new boyfriend Peck. They went as far as taking the blame for him when the police officers showed up to arrest Rufus for assaulting Peck so that he could enjoy his last day alive. Lidia, Mateo’s best friend, had experienced losing someone once with her fiancé, but when she found out that Mateo got the call after he had been acting differently and left, she freaked out. Mateo thought not telling her would have been easier for her to accept, which was the complete opposite. Mateo’s father, who tragically fell into a coma a few weeks prior, will never get to properly say good-bye to his only child if he ever does wake up. Though it may be hard for those around the person who received the call, it also changes the person who received it.

Mateo did not take the news well and had planned to spend the day away in his house where he felt most safe, but knowing he could not delay the inevitable he wanted to tell his father and Lidia goodbye one last time. Mateo did not want to go out alone so he downloaded the “Last Friend” app that connected him with Rufus. When Rufus took the call, he immediately knew he did not want to waste the day away, and did not want to be around those he cared about because he did not want them to see him die. Rufus downloaded the “Last Friend” app after seeing it graffitied on the side of a gas station. Rufus was the one who helped get Mateo out of his house and accompanied him to say his goodbyes. Throughout the book as the characters grow together, they also grow closer. They find an attraction for each other that Rufus embraced, but Mateo struggled with letting it show. Towards the end, Mateo lets go of the negative thoughts and embraces his new found sexuality by kissing Rufus in a club for Deckers. After this epinine, Mateo took Rufus back to take a nap because they had been up for twenty hours at this point. Mateo ended up dying trying to make them tea because the stove blew up. Rufus obviously did not handle this well, and refused to go to the hospital. Instead, he went back to exploring the streets.  

Another character in the book is named Howie Maldonado who is a famous writer that wrote Mateo's favorite book series. Howie received the Death-Cast call as well and spent his last day doing an interview with Delilah Grey, an intern reporter, but was killed in a car accident that was caused by Peck during the interview. Delilah had also received a call, but thought it was her ex-fiancée, Victor Gallaher, pulling a prank on her since she had called off their engagement the night before. Being in denial, Delilah treated the day like it was normal instead of taking precautions and refused to call Victor to find out the truth. Delilah ends up giving in and calling Victor while at a park to yell at him for pulling the prank, but when she calls Victor, she realizes it was not a prank and that she is going to die in the next two hours. Victor got in his car to speed to Delilah before she died, and ended up running Rufus over as he was crossing the street to spend his last few hours at his favorite park.  

In conclusion, death changes all people no matter who is dying. Death can bring out a part of a person that they did not think existed. Just like Mateo did not think he could be adventurous or take risks, but he ended up proving himself wrong. The reader saw how death affects a person and how the five stages of grief can look. Just like when Rufus found Mateo dead. Rufus denied he was dead, tried to bargain with God to take him instead, was angry at Mateo for leaving the bed, depressed that he just lost the love of his life, and then finally accepted Mateo would not be with him in his last few hours. This book is a great read, and will not fail at making you cry.