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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
Mateo knows that Rufus loves how he’s acting, and Mateo loves it too. They sit on the edge of the bed, out of breath, and then Mateo announces that he’s going to sing for Rufus. He tells Rufus to feel special as he starts to play and sing Elton John’s “Your Song.” He’s off-key, but he doesn’t care. Mateo catches sight of Rufus filming. When Mateo finishes, Rufus tears up and says that Mateo has been hiding from him. He says he hates that they found each other through an app. Mateo says that he likes Last Friend; it forces people to get out there and admit that they want to connect.
Mateo gets at the heart of what social media can do well: it forces people to admit that they’re lonely and want more out of their lives. Even though Mateo has known for a long time that he wanted more out of his life, it wasn’t until today that he was able to recognize that “more” really meant connections with people. Though Mateo might still die with some regrets, he’ll also die having put himself out there and formed connections with someone he loves.
Themes
Mateo fetches snacks and drinks, and they talk about their histories. Rufus declares that the bed is their safe island; they can’t die if they stay put. Mateo makes Rufus promise to find him in the afterlife and to make it easy, since Mateo might not have his glasses. Rufus puts on Mateo’s glasses and takes a selfie of them. The photo makes it look like they’ve been together for ages. Mateo spits out that he would’ve loved Rufus if they had more time. He doesn’t care that some people think you shouldn’t say “I love you” before a certain point. Since they’re about to die, he’s going to say “I love you” as many times as he wants.
Through this final photo, Rufus is able to create the sense that Mateo and Rufus really have had more than one day together. While the novel never comes down definitively on what an afterlife might look like, this final conversation shows one benefit of believing in the afterlife: it helps Mateo and Rufus feel like they can continue to find purpose even after they’re dead. If love exists in the afterlife, they can die believing that their lives on Earth were worth it.
Themes
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