The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2018

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Chapter 9

Chapters 10-19

Chapters 20-29

Chapters 30-39

Chapters 40-49

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

SBK (Strong, Brave, Kind)

Content Warning: This section contains discussion of abuse and child death.

SBK is Tiegan and Della’s motto. It was originally a way for Della and Tiegan to survive an abusive situation, but it is now a reminder to keep living a good life. This motif of SBK is connected to the lesson that Murray has to learn about The Importance of Human Connection. As he has aged, lost his wife and children, and watched the world change dramatically around him, Murray has lost sight of his own strength and kindness. He constantly sees the worst in people—like when he is rude to the grocery store cashier because of her facial piercings—and he believes that Chance wants to sell his old baseball memorabilia. When Murray learns to connect with people rather than just assuming the worst and pushing them away, he learns that Chance wants his old baseball glove because he remembers playing catch with his grandfather. Similarly, as he gets to know Jason, Tiegan, and their mothers, he becomes less grouchy toward other people around him.

Della and Tiegan’s relationship gives Murray a way to better understand what he is missing from his own life. The phrase SBK sticks with him after he learns its meaning. Tiegan says it to Murray to help him keep going in the face of hardship. It is one of the last things she says to Murray before she dies. After Tiegan’s death, SBK becomes her legacy in Jason’s life. It informs his life’s mission and inspires him to uphold her strength, bravery, and kindness as long as he lives.

Jason’s List

Jason wants to fulfill five wishes before he dies. Focusing on what he can do with his life helps Jason avoid despairing about the prospect of death. The list becomes a symbol of hope for the future as the book progresses, and it provides both Jason and Murray with a reason to live. At the age of 100, Murray feels that there is little left to keep him interested in living. It is only when he learns about Jason’s wishes that he chooses not to die. As Murray and Jason’s adventures progress, Murray demonstrates great Selflessness and Sacrifice as he helps Jason fulfill his wishes. He puts himself in danger of arrest when he takes Jason and Tiegan to Chicago to bat in the Wrigley Stadium. He considers the risk to be worth it. As they check the wishes off the list, Murray starts to wonder what will happen if they complete all of them and run out of reasons to live. Joe Siple resolves this tension by having Jason survive. Tiegan has a list of her own, but it gets less attention in the narrative. She fulfills four wishes before she dies, leaving Jason to complete the fifth in her honor.

Baseball

Baseball is Murray’s main source of connection to the past now that his wife and children are dead. He remembers his glory days playing for the Chicago Cubs with fondness, and he reminisces frequently about his youth and athleticism. The motif of baseball is bittersweet. Although baseball represents Murray’s glory days, his 15 years playing for the Cubs often took him away from his family for weeks at a time. He missed out on a lot: “their schoolwork, their sports, their girlfriends…their lives, really” (114), and by the time his baseball career was over, his sons had grown up. He had the wrong idea of Selflessness and Sacrifice when it came to raising his sons, thinking that he was doing the right thing by sacrificing time with them in order to have a successful career. Murray connects with Tiegan over their shared love of baseball; this connection helps heal the wound in Murray’s relationship with his sons. Although it is too late to salvage his relationship with them, Murray learns that Chance always looked up to and admired him for his successful baseball career and has fond memories of playing catch together when he was a kid. When he is able to connect with Chance about baseball, their relationship is healed, and they are able to forgive each other and move forward.