Tala Character Analysis

Eddie’s fifth person in heaven, a little Filipino girl who Eddie unknowingly kills while he and his unit are escaping captivity during the war. Tala is affectionate, trusting, and wise. Following her mother’s instructions, Tala hides from Eddie and his men in one of the abandoned village huts. Thinking the huts are empty, Eddie and his unit set the village on fire to send for a rescue signal. Standing before one of the flaming huts, Eddie thinks he sees a small shadow move, but his unit forces him out before he can be sure. All his life, Eddie feels consumed by a darkness, and tries to convince himself nobody was in the hut. In heaven, Eddie is overcome with guilt to realize that the shadow he saw was Tala. Tala then teaches Eddie that he was supposed to be at Ruby Pier all along, keeping children safe to redeem himself for killing Tala.