They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera Book Analysis Essay Example

With only 24 hours on the clock, everything around seems threatening, even the smallest encounter could make one conscious of their decisions and change one’s life perspective. Considering Mateo and Rufus both got a call from death-cast, which forwarded them the message that they would die that day and that they should live this day to the fullest; to not make everything seem all too useless and dull, an individual may have a story to tell, or live one through. Even at the end there are still lessons to be learned and stories to leave behind. At death’s doorstep and a sense of complete loss, the two opposites meet and change their perspectives on their own lives and the world through love. 

The perspective in they both die at the end is for the majority the first person, narrated through Mateo and Rufus. Thus, the reader can comprehend the emotions of the two before they meet and share these with each other. They quite differ from each other; Mateo suffers from anxiety and rather spends time alone. ¨Yes, we live, or we´re given the chance to, at least, but sometimes living is hard and complicated because of fear.¨ (Silvera, 2017, pagina nummer…). He has two companions: his dad (who has been in a coma for two weeks) and bestfriend; Lidia. Rufus; due to the circumstances of losing his parents and sister in a car accident; and getting broken up with, he still tries to have a good time. Rufus tags along with his friend group called the pluto´s from foster care.

¨I think we're already dead, dude. Not everyone, just Deckers. The whole Death-Cast thing seems too fantasy to be true. Knowing when our last day is going down so we can live it right: Straight-up fantasy. The first afterlife kicks off when Death-Cast tells us to live out our day knowing it's our last; that way we´ll take full advantage of it, thinking we´re still alive. Then we enter the next and final afterlife without any regrets.¨ (Silvera, 2017, …) The opposites are running out of time to become the person they want to be; and have no clue what to do to feel fulfilled. ¨I wasted all those yesterdays and am completely out of tomorrows.¨ (Silvera, 2017, …). When Mateo accepts his call from Death-Cast, he understands that associating with individuals online is not enough; he needs to engage with others face to face while he has the chance. This drives him to join Last Friend and to associate with Rufus. However when Rufus receives his call from Death-Cast in the middle of thrashing up Peck (his ex´s boyfriend) everything changes. Rufus does not want to be a violent person, so the prospect of beating someone up as his final act is unsettling. He wants to die a good person. 

Mateo impresses Rufus with his generosity as well as his concerns. Mateo begins to face challenges and trust others, and he discovers that leaving nothing to chance isn't generally the most ideal way to go. ¨But I was wrong, go figure. This is exactly the person I always wanted to be, loose, fun, carefree. No one will look at this photo and think it was out of character, because none of these people know me, and their only expectations of me are to be the person I'm presenting myself in my profile.¨ (Silvera, 2017, …). Mateo sees Rufus as a way for him to break out and become the individual he has been itching to be. Inside, Mateo wants to be a carefree and lighthearted individual. As the day wears on, Mateo turns out to be progressively more courageous; he at long last consents to ride on the rear of Rufus' bicycle, and he even eagerly jumps off a 20-foot precipice into a pool at the Travel Arena. Over the course of the day, Mateo clings to a secret about himself that he only discovers after he sings in front of a group: he is gay, and throughout the span of the day, he has experienced passionate feelings for Rufus. 

Rufus lets go of his rage, and finally feels fulfilled. Rufus is outspoken about his bisexuality. At Clint´s Graveyard, they finally kiss and declare their feelings for each other. He is overcome with grief when Mateo dies first. He dies while attempting to make tea for him and Rufus. Mateo’s last wish was to talk to his dad, in order to fulfill this wish; Rufus talked to him. This is a clear indication that they genuinely care for each other. Rufus accepts that Mateo passed on having turned into the individual he needed to be: he was open and lighthearted, and he fell head over heels. “Two dudes met, they fell in love, that’s our story.” (Silvera, 2017, …) 

Silvera, A. (2017). They Both Die at the End. HarperCollins.