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Rufus, 4:09 a.m.
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in They Both Die at the End, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Mortality, Life, and Meaning
Human Connection and Social Media
Choices and Consequences
Friendship and Chosen Family
Business, Ethics, and Dehumanization
Summary
Analysis
Aimee didn’t receive a call from Death-Cast and isn’t dying, but she feels as though she already lost Rufus. She storms home and tells Peck, who’s following her, that he’s a monster for trying to get Rufus arrested at his funeral. Peck insists that it’s not his fault that Malcolm and Tagoe are in jail. Aimee spits for Peck to leave her alone; Rufus has always been important to her, and because of Peck, she has less time with him. Peck asks if they’re breaking up, and Aimee thinks that she’s not sure. She knows that Rufus messed up by attacking Peck, but Peck was morally wrong to call the police on Rufus. Peck insists that Aimee keeps prioritizing Rufus when Peck has been there for her, and he storms away. Aimee doesn’t know where she stands with Peck or with herself.
To Aimee, what went down this evening isn’t black and white: what Rufus did was certainly wrong, but what Peck did was even worse. This means that she has a choice to make: does she drop Peck for making such a poor choice, or does she forgive him and deal with the guilt that will surely accompany that choice? Showing that Aimee has such a significant decision to make drives home the point that a person’s choices matter every day—even if they’re not slated to die. Knowing one is going to live isn’t an excuse to make cruel or regrettable choices.
Themes
