Chapter Summaries
Chapter 1- "The Curriculum"
Chapter one, “The Curriculum,” introduces the narrative structure of the opening chapters, the characters, and the themes Mitch Albom discusses in Tuesdays With Morrie. Albom starts the book talking about the last class of his professors life. As the only student, he explains, “[t]he subject was the Meaning of Life”. He flashes back to graduation day, and gives some background information on younger Morrie Schwartz. Morrie was one of Albom’s favorite professors at Brandeis University. Albom introduces Morrie to his parents and gives him a briefcase for a gift. They hug; and when he steps back, he can see that Morrie is crying.
Chapter 2- "The Syllabus"
In chapter 2, “The Syllabus” Mitch Albom presents more insight to Morrie’s character. Morrie knew his health was failing when he could no longer dance. Morrie loved to dance to any music with or without a partner. When he got to his seventies, breathing became harder, walking more challenging, and sleep troubling; h began to see doctors and was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), which is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The doctor told him he would eventually die. When Morrie comes out of the doctors office with the horrible news, he asks himself, “do I wither up and disappear, or do I make the best of my time left?” . He decides to continue living his life to the fullest and keep swimming, with the help of a homecare worker, and even insists on spending his last year teaching at the University.
Chapter 3- "The Student"
In chapter 3, “The Student”, Albom explains what has happened to him since he last saw Morrie on his college graduation day. Years after he promised to keep in touch, he admits, “I did not keep in touch”. He forgot about all his college friends, and only occasionally thinks about Morrie. He moved to New York City with high hopes of becoming a musician. However, after the death of his uncle he soon realized his life was too short to waste time on unappreciated music. He decides to continue his education at Columbia University, obtaining his Masters Degree in Journalism. He finds the first job available, a sports writer, and writes about famous athletes. He moved from New York to Florida and eventually moved to Detroit. In a few years, he is writing sports books, hosting radio shows, and even appearing on TV. He meets his current wife, Janine, and continues to work. It seems that Mitch was trying to make the most of his life by accepting job after job, accomplishment after accomplishment.
Chapter 4- "The Audiovisual"
In chapter 4, “The Audiovisual”, Morrie began writing “bite-sized philosophies about living with death's shadow”. One of his fellow professors at Brandeis University sends them to a Boston Globe reporter and a long article is written about Morrie and what he is facing. The article fascinated a producer of the “Nightline”, a well-known talk show, and he contacts Ted Koppel, the most famous interviewer in America, to see if he would like to talk to Morrie. One evening as Albom was flipping through the television channels, he heard the voice of Ted Koppel ask, “[w]ho is Morrie Schwartz?”. The chapter then flashes back to the first time Mitch met Morrie: it was their first class together in the spring of 1976. It was a small class and Morrie asked Mitch what he preferred to be called. After telling Morrie that his friends call him “Mitch”, Morrie told him that he hopes one day Albom will think of him as a friend.
Chapter 5- "The Orientation"
In chapter 5, “The Orientation”, Albom arrives at Morrie’s house still on the phone with a producer about one of his stories. He does not want to end the call so he pretends he is looking for something in his car. Later, Albom feels guilty for ignoring his old professor and pretending to search for his keys. When Morrie sees Albom, he hugs him with so much affection, after almost sixteen years of not seeing him. The two sit in the house and Morrie begins to speak about his upcoming death. Albom states, “[a]lthough I was unaware of it, our last class had just begun”. This chapter flashbacks to Albom’s college years; Mitch nicknamed Morrie “Coach” and recalls the lunches they ate together in the cafeteria.
Chapter 6- "The Classroom"
Albom and Morrie talk for over two hours that day, mostly about Morrie’s sickness. Albom begins to wonder what happened to him, why he is nothing like he was when he was in college. When Morrie talks about how popular he is because he is dying, Albom thinks, “[w]hat happened to me?”. Morrie shows Albom how weak he is by doing a easy breathing test. Mitch eventually leaves to catch his flight home and hugs Morrie good-bye. Albom goes back to when he was buying books on Morrie’s reading list. He began appreciating the study of human relations and caught Morrie’s contagious passion for books. They would often talk after class and he even talked to Morrie about how confusing his life is.
Chapter 7- "Taking Attendance"
A few weeks after his visit with Morrie, Mitch flies to London to cover Wimbledon. He notices the slough of printed tabloids and hungry reporters around him. He thinks of Morrie and their conversation. “I remembered what Morrie said during our visit: ‘The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn’t work, don’t buy it.’” When Mitch arrives back in Detroit, the unions at his newspaper had gone on strike. Mitch was currently out of his newspaper job. He called Morrie and the two agreed to meet again the following Tuesday. The chapter then flashes back to Mitch’s sophomore year in college when he began to meet Morrie outside of the classroom for discussions. Mitch talks to Morrie about his aspirations in life because Morrie listens, unlike Mitch’s father who wants him to be a lawyer.
Chapter 8- "The First Tuesday- We Talk About The World"
Albom visits Morrie for the second time. He notices a stack of newspapers that Morrie had obviously read. Albom is surprised that Morrie is keeping up-to-date with the news. They discuss a bit of news going on in the world and Morrie cries. Morrie tells him how he cries about things that are going on across the world because he feels close to the people who are suffering. The flashback in this chapter takes place in one of Albom’s college classes with Morrie. Morrie enters the room and is silent for about fifteen minutes. The students become uncomfortable which leads into a discussion regarding silence. Albom is not bothered by the silence and while he is walking out of Morrie's class, he stops Albom and tells him that Albom reminds him of himself.
Chapter 9- "The Second Tuesday- We Talk About Being Sorry for Yourself"
This second Tuesday Albom and Morrie discuss feeling sorry for yourself. Albom asks Morrie if he feels sorry for himself. His response is, “[s]ometimes, in the mornings,” he says, “thats when I mourn. I feel around my body, I move my fingers and my hands-whatever I can still move- and I mourn what I've lost”. Albom is amazed how Morrie thinks he is lucky to know he is dying because he has so much time to say goodbye. When Morrie comes back from the bathroom, Albom offers to lift him into the chair, and later realizes that their time together is running out. Albom thinks back to a specific class with Morrie during his junior year in college. Morrie had each student to fall backwards in trust that their assigned partners would catch them. Only one student completes the trust exercise correctly.
Chapter 10- "The Third Tuesday- We Talk About Regrets"
In chapter ten, Albom brings a tape recorder to Morrie’s in order to remember their discussions. They discuss regrets and how people don’t think about what they really want from life: “the culture doesn't encourage you to think about such things until you're about to die”. Morrie tells Albom, “ask me anything”, so on the plane ride home that day, he makes a list of all of the questions he had for Morrie. This chapter goes back to Albom’s senior year in college, when Morrie convinced him to write a sociology thesis on sports. He is very proud of his work and momentarily considers returning for graduate school.
Chapter 11- "The Audiovisual- Part Two"
In “The Audiovisual- Part 2”, the “Nightline” show did a follow-up story and Ted Koppel once again interviewed Morrie. Morrie and Koppel have a great rapport because they are comfortable with each other. Koppel mainly asked him what he will do when he can no longer speak and move his hands. Morrie answers all his questions, about emotions, talking, and silence. For the first time, Morrie expresses his sadness about feeling lonely. Morrie later reads a letter from a lady who teaches a class of kids who have lost a parent. We find out that his mother died when he was a child over seventy years ago.
Chapter 12- "The Professor"
In chapter 12, Albom gives background on Morrie. Morrie’s mother died when he was eight years old, and he had to break the news to his father, who spoke minimal English. After her death, he learned that his brother was ill with polio. Thinking all of this was his fault, Morrie began going to the synagogue to pray for his mother and his sick brother. The next year his father married a woman named Eva. Eva greatly valued education, for this was during the Great Depression, and education seemed like the only path to a job. Eva also took classes to improve her English; she served as a great educational inspiration to Morrie. At the end of the chapter Eva asks Morrie what he wants to do for his career. He had few choices, and Albom states at the end of the chapter, “[i]t was only through default that the best professor I ever had became a teacher”.
Chapter 13- "The Fourth Tuesday- We Talk About Death"
In chapter 13, Morrie is now becoming dependant on an oxygen machine but still meets Albom on the fourth Tuesday. They discuss death and how most people do not believe that they are ever going to die. Morrie tells Albom “once you learn how to die, you learn how to live”. With this said, Morrie asks Albom that if he could accept the fact that he could die at any time, would he still work as much as he does. Morrie feels that if people, in general, were able to believe that they could die at any moment, that they would live their lives differently. One Sunday afternoon, Morrie’s sons come over to answer questions received in letters. He has them write for him because his writing is now illegible to everyone but him. The chapter flashes back to a later memory with Morrie when they are discussing Lou Gehrig and his baseball career.
Chapter 14- "The Fifth Tuesday- We Talk About Family"
In chapter 14, Morrie and Albom discuss family and children. Morrie emphasizes the importance of love, especially love from a family. He says, “[w]ithout love, we are birds with broken wings”.He feels that if he did not have the love and support from his family, that he would have nothing at all. Morrie then discusses the joy he had in raising a family and asks about Albom’s own family. Albom tells us that he has a younger brother who was always a family favorite. He moved to Europe after high school and caught pancreatic cancer just as their uncle had. His brother would not allow any of the family members to help him while he battled cancer, which made Albom angry. He then recalls a memory of him and his brother sledding when they were children. The sled went in front of a car and the boys jumped off to safety. The two were filled with pride at having just skipped death.
Chapter 15- "The Sixth Tuesday- We Talk About Emotions"
In chapter 15, Albom goes to Morrie’s house and is surprised to see his wife, Charlotte, answer the door. He shows her the food he brought for Morrie, but she turns it down, saying “[i]t’s too hard for him to swallow. He has to eat soft things and liquid drinks now”. When Albom gets to see Morrie, he is coughing more than usual. They discuss how it is important to fully accept something and then let it go. He says you need to know the emotion you are feeling and realize that it can’t hurt you, it can only help you. Morrie tells Albom, “by throwing yourself into these emotions, by allowing yourself to dive in, all the way, over your head even, you experience them fully and completely”. Then, Morrie has a coughing fit and takes a minute to recover. Albom is horrified by what just happened to his professor. Then Morrie tells him that he wants to die in a peaceful way, no matter what the circumstances are, and he will achieve this by detaching himself from the fear of dying. Albom then thinks back to a conversation he had with Morrie about reincarnation. Morrie says he would like to come back as a gazelle, because they are fast, strong, and graceful.
Chapter 16- "The Professor- Part Two"
In chapter 16, Albom gives more background information on Morrie. After Morrie received his PhD, he spent time working at a mental hospital near Washington, DC. Morrie ended up working at the hospital for five years and even befriended some of the patients.Since many of the patients came from wealthy backgrounds Morrie learned that this wealth did not buy them happiness; Morrie never forgot this lesson or the importance of compassion. Following his work at the hospital he went to Brandeis to teach. He taught classes on social psychology, mental illness and health, but he still focused more on personal development than career skills.
Chapter 17- "The Seventh Tuesday- We Talk About the Fear of Aging"
In chapter 17, Morrie and Albom discuss the fear of aging. Morrie has finally surrendered to his illness: he can no longer go to the bathroom by himself. Instead of being frustrated he is enjoying all the people around him who are helping him and taking care of him. Morrie describes why he thinks it is beneficial to age: to learn more, gain a better understanding of your life and to experience growth. Throughout the book thus far, Morrie joked that one day he would need someone to wipe him after he was finished in the bathroom. Currently, he can no longer go to the bathroom alone, wash himself, or blow his nose. Morrie says he is enjoying being taken care of so much, just as a baby does, then states, “[m]ost of us didn’t get enough. I know I didn’t” .
Chapter 18- "The Eighth Tuesday- We Talk About Money"
In chapter 18, Morrie and Albom are influenced by a quote from the newspaper and discuss money and power. Morrie lived his life enjoying simple pleasures such as dancing, singing and laughing. He explains in this chapter how he sees society being brainwashed into thinking that the more you have, the better you are. He says, “[a]nd that is what we do in this country.Owning things is good. More money is good. More property is good. More commercialism is good. More is good. More is good.” Morrie explains to Albom that people use these things as a substitute for love because they do not get enough. Morrie tells Mitch that in order to feel satisfied, people should offer to others, what they have, whether it be a skill or simply just listening.
Chapter 19- "The Ninth Tuesday- We Talk About How Love Goes On"
In the 19th chapter, Morrie and Albom talk about love. The previous day, someone had asked Morrie if he was afraid of being forgotten after he was dead. His response is, “I don’t think I will be. I’ve got so many people who have been involved with me in close, intimate ways. And love is how you stay alive, even after you are gone”. Albom describes how he loves the way Morrie greets him upon his entrance. Albom admires how Morrie has such a talent as to make each person feel special when they are around him. Morrie tells him how important it is to stay focused and to only be present with the people who are around you. He thinks that so many people are in a hurry and do not find the time to even engage in a real conversation without thinking of something else.
Chapter 20- "The Tenth Tuesday- We Talk About Marriage"
On this tenth Tuesday, Albom brings his wife to meet Morrie. Albom had called Morrie earlier in the week to see how he was feeling and he asked to talk to Albom’s wife, Janine. When she got off the phone with Morrie, she told him she was coming on the next trip. They talk and Morrie asks about her career as a professional singer and he asks her to sing something for him. She sang a 1930’s song written by Ray Noble. When she finished singing, Albom noticed tears running down Morrie’s face. He and Morrie then discuss marriage and Morrie shares with him what he has learned through his many years of marriage. Morrie says, “[i]f you don’t respect the other person, you’re gonna have a lot of trouble”. He tells Albom that you must have the same belief in the importance of marriage if the relationship is going to work.
Chapter 21- "The Eleventh Tuesday- We Talk About Our Culture"
In chapter 21, Morrie tells Albom about how our culture has wrong ideas, and it is smart not to buy into it. They discuss how our culture has us believe that we must be ideal people, men must be rich, women must be thin. Morrie says, “[t]he little things, I can obey. But the big things- how we think, what we value- those you must choose yourself. You can’t let anyone- or any society- determine those for you”. He says that these are things our culture would have us believe, and that we should not buy into it. Morrie also explains that people do not see what they could be, how much potential they have. The chapter then flashes back to a basketball game at Brandeis University. The students are chanting to the team, “We’re number one!”, and finally, Morrie is so tired of this he stand up and says, “[w]hat’s wrong with being number two?”.
Chapter 22- "The Audiovisual- Part Three"
In this chapter, Koppel goes back to interview Morrie one last time. Koppel asks him how bad it is, and Morrie lifted up his hand as far as he could, halfway up his belly, and Koppel understood that this was as much as he could move. Morrie explains to Koppel that once he can no longer be responsive to other people, he is no longer living. He says, “[w]hen that is gone, Morrie is gone”. He also tells Koppel he wants to die serenely. Morrie shares his latest aphorism with everybody, “don’t let go too soon, but don’t hang on too long”.After the interview, the film keeps rolling and it catches Morrie saying that he was with Him up there. He wants to be an angel. This is the first time Morrie admits to talking to God.
Chapter 23- "The Twelfth Tuesday- We Talk About Forgiveness"
It is the Twelfth Tuesday, and Albom and Morrie discuss forgiveness. He says, “[f]orgive yourself before you die. Then forgive others”. The whole time, Albom rubs lotion on Morrie’s feet to relieve them of some pain. Morrie tells Albom a story in which he never forgave one of his friends for an incident which happened years ago. He then continued to say that we also must forgive ourselves for the things we feel we should have done. At the end of the chapter Morrie tells him that if he could have had another son, he would have liked it to be Albom. The chapter flashes back to a conversation between Albom and Morrie when Morrie found the place in which he would like to be buried. It is on a hill beneath a tree and overlooking a pond. He hopes that Albom will come visit him and tell him all his problems.
Chapter 24- "The Thirteenth Tuesday- We Talk About The Perfect Day"
Morrie has decided to be cremated upon his death. He tells Albom how people act as if death is contagious and how they are afraid to see it. Morrie has been having very bad nights involving terrible coughing spells. He had recently had one so terrible that he almost felt as if he was going to die. He told Albom that he suddenly felt at peace with dying. Albom asks Morrie what he would do if he was perfectly healthy for one day. Morrie describes a simple day of being with friends and dancing. They then discuss Albom’s sick brother who he has been trying to reach for weeks. Albom cannot understand how his brother wants to be left alone during this time. Morrie tells him that he will eventually find a way back to his brother just as he found Morrie. Morrie says, “[d]eath ends a life, not a relationship”.
Chapter 25- "The Fourteenth Tuesday- We Say Goodbye"
In chapter 25, Charlotte had called Albom to tell him that Morrie was not doing well but he still wanted to see him. When Albom arrived, Morrie was still asleep and now bed ridden. Albom thought of one of Morrie's aphorism, “when you're in bed, you're dead”, and tried to push the thought away. Morrie could barely talk, he was having tons of trouble breathing and Albom knows Morrie's last days are here. He was very weak; he told Albom that he was not doing well, and that he loved him. Albom kissed Morrie, longer than usual, and finally began to cry.
Chapter 26- "Graduation"
Morrie died on Saturday morning. Only his immediate family was at home when he died, but nobody witnessed it. The funeral was held on a damp, gray morning. Charlotte kept the ceremony small for only friends and family, although hundreds wanted to attend. Albom thought about what Morrie said, “[y]ou'll talk, I'll listen”, and talks with Morrie in his head and noted how familiar the conversation felt. He then realized that it was Tuesday.
Chapter 27- "Conclusion"
One of the main things that Morrie taught Mitch was that, "there is no such thing as 'too late' in life". Mitch seemed to take this thought to heart, as he was inspired to contact his sick brother in Spain. Mitch told him that he respected his decision to distance himself, but that he wanted to stay in contact because Mitch loved him. Mitch stated that he had never said such a thing to his brother; it seems as though by Mitch telling his brother that he loves him, also allowed his brother to see that it is never too late to regain contact and include his family in his life.