The Natural World and Morrie's Hibiscus Symbol Analysis

Part of Morrie's personal culture includes taking walks outside, and he shows a great appreciation for nature. Even when he is no longer able to go outside, and even gets a chill sitting next to an open window on an 80-degree day, he still insists on sitting by the window in his office. Nature, the changing of the seasons, and the life cycles of plants with the seasons allude to the cyclical nature of life and death. In particular, Morrie takes great interest in the hibiscus plant outside his window. It is full and vibrant when Mitch begins his Tuesday visits. By the time of Morrie's death, the hibiscus well on its way to losing all of its leaves for the winter. There is sadness in this “death” of the plant – a sadness connected to Morrie’s own death, of course – but there is also joy in the fact that the plant is part of a cycle, that it will live on when spring returns. This idea of the cycle of life becomes increasingly important to Morrie as he approaches death, and is important to the book as well. After all Tuesdays with Morrie can be seens as a kind of rebirth for Morrie, a continuation of his cycle. It comes as no surprise, then, that Morrie is very deliberate in his choice of burial location, making sure to choose a spot that is naturally beautiful. In this way, he ensures that in his death, the living will be able to appreciate life as they admire the beauty around them when visiting his grave. As the weeks progress, Mitch also becomes more attuned to the beauty of the natural world, noticing on his final visit the many plants in Morrie's front yard as he makes the final internal shift towards fully appreciating life in the face of death.