As I read this book and interpreted it, I came to the understanding that there is a strong emphasis on death and its effects on a human. Death is a very powerful thing and you can see how Morrie reacted to it as you read this final thesis of Mitch. Mitch pondered these thoughts of Morrie's and wondered if Morrie always considered death. He responded with I am person of great health and am determined to be one of the healthiest old men and hadn't really thought of death until it came so close to him. When he encountered this dreaded disease he became focused on more important things like family and friends as death snuck up on him. He once said that you must learn how to die, before you learn how to live. This is very true. An analogy he gave was one of Buddhist knowledge; one must ask the bird on his shoulder if today is the day you die. I had never really thought of death like this until reading this book; it shows you how much more to life there is.
Death can be interpreted many different ways, depending the viewpoints of the people who experience it. Some may take it as a loss and morn over the tragedy. Other ways to look at this is how Morrie uses this as a learning experience and even a teaching device. Mitch has proof of this as he discusses how he has so many life lessons within the 4 months he had spent with Morrie on those Tuesday classroom days. Through death reincarnation and renewal are presented in aspects of life and death. .
One of the greatest lessons Mitch learned through death was material items aren't everything. By reincarnating himself in life he uses his basis of life through love. This is a powerful motive for Mitch. Also a strong emphasis on the pink plant in Morrie's study was continually referred to for it to took place in life's cycle as does Morrie. It is important to understand that everything dies away naturally. Both Mitch and Morrie began to realize this as the teachings continued and the disease took over.