Chapter Abstracts for Tuesdays with Morrie
Chapter abstracts are short descriptions of events that occur in each chapter. They highlight major plot events and detail the important relationships and characteristics of characters and objects.
The Curriculum - page 1
* Mitch describes "the last class of my old professor's life."
* In this class, "Tuesday's With Morrie" is the paper, and Mitch Albom is the student.
* Mitch flashes back to his graduation from Brandeis University in Massachusetts.
* After the graduation, Mitch gives his favorite professor Morrie Schwartz a leather briefcase as a gift.
* After a hug, which is awkward for Mitch, he promises to stay in touch.
* When Morrie and Mitch say goodbye, Morrie is crying.
The Syllabus - page 5
* Morrie Schwartz learned he has ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease in the summer of 1994. There is no cure, and it is terminal.
* Morrie loved to dance, but the dancing stopped when his health began deteriorating.
* The disease continued progressing. First he got asthma, then he had difficulty walking, and after that could no longer drive or walk without a cane.
* In the fall of 1994, Schwartz returned to Brandeis to teach one more college course.
* Morrie's health failed even further as the semester passed. The cane was replaced with a walker, and trips to the bathroom become too difficult.
* The New Year saw Morrie in a wheelchair. He knew he was in the last year of his life.
* Morrie threw himself a "living funeral." His friends and family paid tribute to him, and he made sure they all knew his love for them.
The Student - page 14
* After graduation, Mitch moved to New York City to find a career as a professional musician.
* Mitch's favorite uncle was stricken with and died of cancer.
* Mitch earned graduate degrees in journalism and business administration from Columbia University and took a job as a sports writer.
* Mitch worked at a feverish pace, writing both for his newspaper, The Detroit Free Press, and magazines. He also wrote books and did radio and TV appearances.
* Mitch met and married his wife, Janine.
* Mitch continued racking up professional accomplishments and mistaking them for happiness.
* Mitch was unaware of Morrie's illness.
The Audiovisual – page 18
* Morrie was interviewed by Ted Koppel for the TV show Nightline.
* The televised interview showed Morrie explaining he's decided to die as he has lived, with dignity, courage, humor and composure.
* In Detroit, Mitch was at home watching the interview on TV.
The Orientation – page 26
* Mitch visited Morrie for the first time.
* Morrie was very emotional at his reunion with Mitch, and Mitch was surprised at the show of affection.
* Mitch flashed back to his college days, when he and Morrie were very close.
* Back then, Morrie saw and appreciated Mitch for what he really was, and Mitch was drawn to him as a result.
The Classroom – page 32
* Mitch and Morrie visited for several hours.
* Morrie managed, despite his illness, to remain the same person Mitch so fondly remembered.
* Mitch realized that, although he was successful and busy, he was mostly unsatisfied and unfulfilled.
* Morrie announced that living unhappily is just as sad as dying.
* Morrie said that he would eventually suffocate to death and guessed that he had only four or five months left to live.
* Mitch agreed to come back and see Morrie again.
Taking Attendance – page 41
* Mitch devoted himself to work and nothing but work.
* When Mitch returned to Detroit after doing work in London, he lost one of his jobs and became confused and depressed.
* Mitch called Morrie and they agreed that Mitch would visit on Tuesday.
* Mitch remembered that the conversations he had with Morrie at Brandeis were fatherly in nature.
The First Tuesday We Talk About the World – page 48
* Mitch arrived at Morrie's house bearing bags of food.
* Mitch and Morrie start what would become familiar routines: Morrie asked questions and then peppered Mitch's answers with observations and insights.
* Morrie was still worried about the day someone would have to wipe his behind and revealed that that day is getting closer.
* Morrie made Mitch a promise that some day he would get Mitch to loosen up enough to cry.
* Morrie wanted Mitch to return next Tuesday.
The Second Tuesday We Talk About Feeling Sorry for Yourself– 55
* Mitch looked forward to his visits with Morrie.
* A few minutes a day, Morrie allowed himself to feel sorry for himself.
* Morrie felt lucky about the slow progression of the disease, because it gave him plenty of time to say goodbye to everybody.
* Mitch helped Morrie by moving him from the wheelchair to his recliner.
* Mitch remembered Morrie saying that you have to quit believing in what you see, and believe in what you feel.
The Third Tuesday We Talk About Regrets – page 62
* Mitch brought a tape recorder, so he could remember Morrie, his voice and his unique perspectives forever.
* Morrie and Mitch talked about regrets.
* Mitch made a list of questions that he wanted to address to Morrie. His list included death, fear, aging, greed, marriage, family, society, forgiveness and a meaningful life.
The Audiovisual, Part 2 – page 69
* Nightline and Ted Koppel returned to do a follow-up story on Morrie Schwartz.
* Morrie told Koppel that he worries about the time when he could no longer use his hands or speak.
* Morrie said that real friends don't need words to feel each other's love.
* Morrie was emotional when he talked about his loneliness after his mother passed away when he was a child.
The Professor – page 73
* Morrie was just eight years old when his mother died.
* Morrie and his younger brother David did not get any affection from their father.
* Morrie's father remarried the next year, and his new stepmother, Eva, gave the boys love and affection and instilled in Morrie his love foreducation.
The Fourth Tuesday We Talk About Death – page 80
* A portable oxygen machine was been added to Morrie's collection of medical equipment.
* Morrie and Mitch talked about death.
* Morrie said that if people would just believe and accept that they'll die, they would do things differently.
The Fifth Tuesday We Talk About Family - page 90
* Morrie enjoyed the physical contact he had with Mitch.
* Mitch and Morrie talked about family.
* Morrie told Mitch that family is the foundation of everything.
* Morrie says there is no experience in the world like having children.
* Mitch said he has an older sister and a younger brother, who has cancer.
* Mitch did not have any contact with his brother.
The Sixth Tuesday We Talk About Emotions – 100
* Morrie was having a difficult day.
* Morrie could not eat Mitch's food any longer but didn't mention this because he didn't want to hurt Mitch's feelings.
* Mitch's visits gave Morrie a sense of purpose and he enjoyed them a lot.
* Morrie had a lot of bad coughing spells.
* Morrie talked about detaching yourself from experiences after they penetrate you.
* Morrie said he wanted to die peacefully and that he believed in reincarnation.
The Professor, Part 2 – page109
* One of Morrie's first jobs was at a mental institution, where he observed and befriended patients.
* Morrie began teaching at Brandeis, a hotbed for cultural activism, in the late 1950s.
* During Morrie's tenure, the department evolved from a traditional classroom lecture to discussions and experiences.
* Hundreds of Morrie's students sent letters and visited Morrie in his final days.
The Seventh Tuesday We Talk About the Fear of Aging – page115
* Morrie could no longer reach behind himself to cleanse after using the bathroom.
* To deal with this loss of ability, Morrie decided to ignore culture and not be ashamed and to enjoy his dependency, as if he was a baby again.
* Morrie and Mitch discussed aging and the fear of aging.
* Morrie said that always wishing that you were young again was a sign of an unfulfilled life.
The Eighth Tuesday We Talk About Money – page 123
* Morrie said people value the wrong things, and as a result, they lead disillusioned lives.
* Since Morrie's illness was diagnosed, his house became very wealthy home, filled with friends, students, honesty, tears, teaching and love.
* Morrie said people confuse what they need with what they want.
* Morrie said listening to other people's problems made him feel alive.
The Ninth Tuesday We Talk About How Love Goes On – page 130
* Morrie's new saying was "when you're in bed, you're dead."
* Morrie knew the disease would soon hit his lungs, making talking impossible.
* Morrie said that love is the way you stay alive after you're gone.
* Morrie wanted his tombstone to read, "A teacher to the last."
* Morrie said that a lot of people haven't found meaning in their life, because they're too busy running around looking for it.
The Tenth Tuesday We Talk About Marriage – page 142
* Janine, Mitch's wife came along on this visit.
* Morrie told stories and Janine sang a song for him.
* Morrie, Mitch and Janine talked about marriage.
* Morrie claimed that marriage is a test, and you find out a lot about yourself and your partner as a result.
* Morrie said that there must be respect and compromise in a marriage. There must be open communication, and your values must be alike.
The Eleventh Tuesday We Talk About Our Culture – page 152
* Mitch fould himself getting involved when Morrie needed medical attention.
* Mitch was considerably less self-conscious about the things that society says should be embarrassing.
* Mitch and Morrie talked about culture.
* Mitch and Morrie held hands while they talk.
* Morrie explained the need to build a culture separate from traditional society.
The Audiovisual, Part 3 – page 160
* Nightline returned for a third and final time.
* Morrie admitted that he didn't know whether he's up for dying.
* Morrie said that once his ability to respond to someone, to show his emotions, is gone, he will be gone.
* Morrie told the millions of people watching to love one another.
* Morrie said that the disease could have his body, but not his spirit.
The Twelfth Tuesday We Talk About Forgiveness – page 164
* Mitch massaged Morrie's feet with lotion.
* The few things Morrie regretted in his life were vengeance and stubbornness, pride and vanity.
* Mitch and Morrie talked about forgiveness.
* Morrie confessed that if he'd had another son, he would have wanted Mitch to be him.
The Thirteenth Tuesday We Talk About the Perfect Day – page 171
* Morrie told Mitch that he wants to be cremated.
* Morrie said once a person makes peace with dying, only then can he make peace with living.
* Morrie said death ends a life, not a relationship.
* Morrie told Mitch that, in his opinion, the important issues in life are love, responsibility, spirituality and awareness.
* If Morrie could have one more perfectly healthy day, he would have spent it in an ordinary way, in the way he always lived his days.
* Morrie told Mitch that he must accept his brother's decisions.
The Fourteenth Tuesday We Say Goodbye – page 181
* Mitch realized that the end was very near.
* Mitch brought food again. It had become a tradition.
* Mitch found Morrie in bed, rather than in his chair in his study.
* Morrie was very weak and could barely talk.
* Morrie and Mitch shared their love for each other.
* When Mitch left, he gave his mentor one last hug and cried.
Graduation – page 187
* Morrie lapsed into a coma and stopped breathing two days later.
* Charlotte invited only family and a few good friends to Morrie's funeral.
* Mitch tried out an imaginary conversation in his head at Morrie's grave site.
* It was Tuesday.
The Conclusion – page 190
* Mitch wished that he could talk to his old self and tell him the many things Morrie taught his older self.
* Mitch finally reached his brother and told him he loves him.
* Mitch narrates that the book was their "final thesis" together.
* Mitch says he misses Morrie the most when he reads the notes they scribbled to each other.
* Mitch asks if the readers have ever had a teacher like Morrie and if they did, they are very lucky and will always find their way back tohim or her.
Chapter Abstracts for TWM page # 1