The Instrument: The Five People You Meet in Heaven

     The best books utilize literary instrumentation. There are a variety of literary instruments at the writer's disposal, and if used correctly, lead to a beautifully crafted novel. Now, I want to analyze a book that I consider incredibly special with the lens of instrumentation. This book is the single most influential novel that I have ever read; it influenced my personal outlook on life and philosophy.

      I read this book when I was in middle school and had no real grasp of what made a great book tick. That was back when I just read to be entertained, and had no real literary education to effectively analyze the book. Nevertheless, The Five People You Meet in Heaven was total in its impact on my understanding of human purpose and relationships, almost like the encompassing influence of gravity. So, I want to dig deeper into the core of this novel, as to understand why I found the book so compelling.

     First of all, this novel is interesting in substance. The title would lead the reader into assuming that the book was grounded to religion, but this is not the case. In fact, the novel follows the story of an old, crippled maintenance man after his death and during his ascension throughout the numerous levels of heaven. On each of these levels is a person who was extremely influential, whether he knew it or not, in Eddie the maintenance man's life. Through conversations with these five individuals, Eddie comes to value each of the relationships he had fostered, as well as understanding that all beings are connected in some intricate, spiritual way.

     So, where does Mitch Albom's literary instrumentation come into the fray? This book is mainly driven by discovery. The author takes the reader on this journey through a spiritual realm, and the discoveries made by Eddie as a result of his conversations with his five influential people are paralleled by the reader. These discoveries are real and riveting, and since the reader is unaware of the totality of the experiences that Eddie has lived through until his untimely death, these discoveries on the human condition are that much more powerful in Eddie's life context. Mitch Albom crafted one powerful story through literary instrumentation. The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a book I recommend to everybody. It approaches the topic of spirituality in a very beautiful way by not exemplifying the faith and customs associated with heaven and instead by focusing on the importance of human connection.