Five+People+three

=The Five People You Meet in Heaven= Discussion Question 3

Eddie said he spent his life trying to get away from Ruby Pier, yet he ends up back there after death. What significance did Ruby Pier hold for him?
I think we all struggle with what's familiar. The old "grass is greener" concept runs richly through the American culture. However, as we age we may find that what's most familiar is what defines us and gives us the greatest amount of personal satisfaction. Eddie struggles with his desire to get away from the pier because he thinks he's better than that or because he desires more adventure. Only once he gets to heaven does he realize the impact he has had on so many people's lives because he spent his life at the pier. Are we defined by what we do? I think whether or not we like it or not, we may be. And tha't the reason we always need to make the best of every situation we are in. Conan


 * Ruby Pier embodies Eddie's coming of age. He becomes a man and he dies an old man in this surrounding. He learns to work hard at the pier. He meets his wife at the pier. The pier is a familiar, noncomabitve place after his stint in the war. The pier becomes his family when his wife dies. The workers and clients depend on him to keep the facility safe just as the pier has become his haven during times of trouble. He wants to get away, but cannot escape the tie the pier has to him and that he in turn has to the pier. - lj