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
Kendrick didn’t receive a call from Death-Cast and isn’t dying today, but he just lost his job. He’s never been lucky; his parents’ marriage was awful, and on the day he got new sneakers, kids jumped him and stole them. A kid in glasses gave Kendrick his shoes, but Kendrick didn’t care about that kid at all—he just didn’t want to get beaten up again. Damian Rivas, a classmate, taught Kendrick to fight, and now, Kendrick is a “Knockout King.” He has no one to fight now that Peck got a girlfriend and their gang is over.
It’s possible that Kendrick was the kid that Mateo gave his shoes to. If this is true, it reinforces the novel’s assertion that connection is important—and it introduces the idea that whether people know it or not, each person is connected to everyone else in some way. Kendrick’s violent tendencies stem from the fact that for the most part, other people haven’t treated him like he matters. This suggests that inattention can be extremely dehumanizing and damaging—not just for the person who’s ignored, but for the people that individual comes in contact with.
Themes
