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
As Rufus slows down and pulls into Althea Park, Mateo loosens his grip. Rufus stops, startled, and sees Mateo looking thrilled with himself—he jumped off. Rufus thinks that Mateo had this in him all along. They limp to a playground, sit on a bench, and watch college guys playing handball nearby. They agree that they hated seeing people die in the bombing—and now, Rufus is afraid that they could die here. Mateo points out that Rufus has had lots of good times at Althea Park, including that kiss with the girl. Rufus thinks that his suspicions were correct about Mateo: the kiss bothers him. He challenges Mateo to a game of Gladiator, where they hang from the monkey bars and try to kick each other off. Rufus wraps his legs around Mateo, and they fall, laugh. They decide it was a tie.
Rufus gets proof that his kindness and respect for Mateo’s wishes, and his ability to balance those things with pushing Mateo out of his comfort zone, have paid off—now, Mateo is more comfortable taking risks. Learning this makes Rufus more comfortable with taking risks too. Challenging Mateo to a game of Gladiator brings them physically closer to each other and is a convenient way for Rufus to test whether Mateo is bothered about the kiss because he’s romantically interested in Rufus.
Themes
Rufus says that for the past few months, his life has felt over. He’s wanted to ride his bike into the river at times, and he’s angry that he’s going to miss so much. Mateo confirms that Rufus isn’t going to commit suicide, and the boys try to get each other to promise to not die first. A handball bounces toward them and Mateo picks it up and tosses it back to a guy. The guy notices Mateo’s bike and says he just wrecked his; he’s saving to buy a new one. Rufus tells the guy to take his bike. He lies that he’s moving and can’t take it. The guy is hesitant, but he rides away with it. Rufus snaps a photo of the guy on his bike, riding back to his friends.
Even though Rufus’s bike has been an important part of his transformation since his parents’ death, now, he doesn’t need it anymore. This signifies that Rufus is turning away from objects and turning toward people. Documenting this shift by taking the photo will help his friends following along on Instagram recognize this transition. The fact that Rufus never learns this guy’s name drives home that this moment is about Rufus focusing more attention on Mateo—it’s not about connecting with others.
Themes
Mateo and Rufus decide to swing, and Rufus snaps more photos. Mateo asks if Rufus is going to make any other big changes today, but Rufus doesn’t take the bait. They discuss that Deckers can have their ashes put in urns with a tree seed and come back as a tree. Rufus likes the idea, but he thinks he’d sound stupid if he said so.
Though Rufus only shares his thoughts about cremation with the reader, it’s telling that he has thoughts that he believes are too stupid to share—just like Mateo. This shows that the boys are more alike than they know, and that they’d likely be sympathetic to each other if they were to voice the thoughts they’re ashamed of.
Themes
