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
The bike isn’t awful. Rufus dodges deliverymen who are looking up instead of paying attention to their couch, and Mateo feels free as the bike picks up speed. This is more exciting than skydiving at Make-A-Moment. Mateo thinks that if he wasn’t a coward or a Decker, he’d lean forward against Rufus and put his arms out. Instead, he holds onto Rufus and decides to do something small but brave when they arrive at their destination.
The discovery that the bike is more exciting and freeing than fake skydiving proves Deirdre’s point: it’s more fulfilling to be out living life with loved ones and taking risks than it is to spend time in a controlled environment like Make-A-Moment. This is especially true given how much money Make-A-Moment charges, while biking is free.
Themes
