Life After War
Courage. Bravery. Kindness. Factors of Sacrifice. Sacrifice takes courage, reaching sacrifice takes bravery, giving sacrifice ends in kindness, and earning sacrifice produces gratitude. In the novel, The Five People You Meet In Heaven, the author created the Captain. The Captain is the second person Eddie meets in Heaven and is always on the run. He had been in Eddie’s life, at war, hand-to-hand combat, fighting for their lives, saving their country. He teaches Eddie sacrifice, proves his experience, and shows his loyalty. In The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom uses the character “the Captain” to teach the lesson of Sacrifice.
Loyalty, “Captain promised he would leave no one behind, no matter what happened”, (64). Loyalty is displayed by the Captain’s kindness towards his fellow soldiers as he never left anyone behind. This is important because the Captain was and acted like a “normal” Captain; had a short temper and had a habit of yelling a few inches from one’s face. Though he was different, by promising not to leave anyone behind; he showed that he cared about his men. Later in the story, the Captain confesses to Eddie that he was the one who shot Eddie. Eddie reacted with anger because that incident changed Eddie’s life and made his life very difficult. However, Eddie eventually realizes that the Captain did this because of his loyalty and to save his life. The Captain did not do this by accident but by instinct.
Experience, “ I knew how to fire a pistol when I was six”, (85). The Captain’s experience was not normal for a young boy. The Captain grew up in a military atmosphere where he learned how to fire a pistol. He was an all American man, born and raised in America. The Captain was more experienced than any other man in his troop; therefore he had a lot more to teach others in his squad and all of his men looked up to him. “Captain always promised he would leave no one behind, no matter what happened, and the men took comfort in that”(64) shows how the men looked up to him, felt safe around him and saw his loyalty toward them.
Sacrifice, “ Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret”, (93). The Captain was the second person Eddie met in Heaven and demonstrated different examples of sacrifice. Sacrifice is a tough and brave thing. It requires a lot of courage and bravery. The Captain demonstrates his own personal sacrifice in war; he died by sacrificing himself for his country; for Eddie. One of the most important parts of this novel was when the Captain told Eddie his ultimate sacrifice; which cost him his life. Eddie realizes that the Captain was driving the transport over a landmine after Eddie was shot and