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
Vin received his Death-Cast call just after midnight. It wasn’t surprising. He’s upset that the woman with the colorful hair ignored him and that there are two boys walking a bike when they should be riding it. Vin loves it when people are afraid of him, especially in the wrestling ring. Four months ago, however, he started to feel muscle pains and weakness. His coach eventually pulled him out of the ring. Though Vin’s father died of multiple sclerosis, Vin believed he was destined for better. Presently, Vin walks to the gym where he’s been training for seven years. He sneaks into the generator room and pulls out a homemade bomb.
Vin refers to both Delilah (the woman with the bright hair) and Rufus and Mateo (the boys with the bike) here, reminding the reader again that everyone is connected. This is true even if, like Vin, someone has no interest in connecting with others and instead wants to take lives with them when they go. The novel attributes this desire to Vin’s own lack of connections, and his sense that since his life wasn’t exactly what he wanted it to be, it’s worthless. Again, this shows that anger and isolation are dangerous states of being.
Themes
