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Mateo, 3:26 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
Rufus isn’t sure about jumping; he hasn’t even been in a pool since his family died. Rufus refuses to jump, and Lidia tells Mateo that he shouldn’t jump either, but Mateo gets in line anyway. Rufus is thrilled that Mateo has undergone this transformation. Mateo waves Rufus and Lidia over to jump with him and tells Rufus that he’ll regret not jumping. Rufus agrees, strips to his underwear, and accepts arm floaties from a lifeguard. Rufus, Mateo, and Lidia grab hands and jump. Lidia lets go as soon as they hit the water, but Rufus and Mateo hold on and meet eyes under the water. Above the water, Rufus laughs and hugs Mateo. He feels like he’s been baptized and like he left his anger underwater. Rufus doesn’t mention holding hands, but he hopes that Mateo now knows where they stand. He says that it’s time to go to a Decker dance club.
This is a major turning point for Rufus, since he leaves his anger behind after the jump. It’s also the moment in which Rufus and Mateo begin to more openly feel out how their relationship. Lidia letting go of Mateo and Rufus’s hands is symbolic of her letting Mateo and Rufus go when the boys die—while hanging onto each other represents Rufus and Mateo’s deep connection. Having taken this step, Rufus knows that Mateo is ready for another experience in the real world at the dance club.
Themes
