Skip to main content

When Mitch arrives at Morrie’s for the first time, what is he not proud of? Why does he struggle with this first meeting?

When Mitch arrives at Morrie's for the first time, he's not proud of the fact that he never kept his promise to keep in touch with his favorite professor. So, he sits in the car and feels guilty; he struggles to mentally prepare himself to meet his ailing professor.


Mitch realizes that he owes his professor more gratitude for his past kindnesses and patience towards him. Because he has failed in this area, he feels...

When Mitch arrives at Morrie's for the first time, he's not proud of the fact that he never kept his promise to keep in touch with his favorite professor. So, he sits in the car and feels guilty; he struggles to mentally prepare himself to meet his ailing professor.


Mitch realizes that he owes his professor more gratitude for his past kindnesses and patience towards him. Because he has failed in this area, he feels ashamed that he has let Morrie down. So, in a bid to mitigate his anxiety, Mitch decides to finish his conversation with the television producer before he approaches Morrie.


The eventual reunion between Morrie and Mitch five minutes later is fraught with great emotion. Morrie hugs his former student fiercely, demonstrating that his affection for Mitch has not dimmed. This makes Mitch feel even more guilty, as he remembers how close they were when he was still in college. Additionally, Mitch also struggles with the feeling that he is no longer the idealistic young person Morrie once knew. For the last few years before this first meeting, Mitch has let fame and fortune cloud his priorities; he desperately hopes that Morrie doesn't find out how far he has veered from the person he used to be:




I remembered graduation day, the briefcase, his tears at my departure, and I swallowed because I knew, deep down, that I was no longer the good, gift-bearing student he remembered. I only hoped that, for the next few hours, I could fool him.




Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...

Explain and discuss how the definitions of freedom change for the nation, for the freedmen and for southern whites after the Civil War.

After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to... After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to belong to without being ordered to attend religious services (or not to attend) by their mast...