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Rufus, 8:47 p.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
Lidia is on the couch eating candy with Penny. Penny is behaving herself like she knows something is wrong. Lidia’s phone rings and she recognizes the number: it’s Rufus. Lidia knows that Mateo died and punches the couch, which scares Penny. Penny grabs Lidia’s hands and says “Mommy,” which makes Lidia put herself back together. She picks up the phone and Rufus says he’s still at the hospital, where Dad is. He wants to visit Dad and tell him that Mateo is gay, since Mateo didn’t get the chance. Lidia promises to do it if Rufus can’t. Rufus says he wants to let Dad know how brave Mateo was, and he tells Lidia everything. Tomorrow, Lidia will build the bookcase that Mateo bought Penny and put up photos of him. She’ll keep him alive that way.
Now that Mateo is gone, the photos become a way for Lidia to keep Mateo’s memory alive and make sure that Penny grows up knowing who he was. In this way, Mateo will be able to be there for Penny, just not in the way that he and Lidia expected. Lidia’s promise to call Dad if need be shows that over the course of this day, she too has learned the importance of making choices that help others. By doing this, she can make sure that Rufus understands that he’s also her friend, and that they’re connected through their shared love of Mateo.
Themes
