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Euthanasia In Me Before You, By Jojo Moyes

Decent Essays

In the book Me Before You, the author Jojo Moyes chooses to illustrate the importance of euthanasia as an option for ending your life if unable to live it to it’s full potential. Moyes’ character, William Traynor had a perfect life before the accident that left him paralyzed and unwilling to live. Some may see the novel as just another story about troubled love, but it has a deeper, underlying message that Jojo Moyes wishes to express. The author wants to bring up the issue of euthanasia and discuss the different sides that people may have on it and the fine line between what is right and morally wrong. Jojo Moyes wants to educate the reader on euthanasia through insight on the feelings of the disabled, the people around them, and clues to …show more content…

Before the accident, his life was perfect in every way. He was active, adventurous, and had an amazing job and an amazing girlfriend, and now that he is disabled, he can't have any of that. Everywhere he looks, he is reminded of the life he used to have and he can’t possibly imagine living in any other way. While it is true that most disabled people still wish to live, Moyes chooses to show the side of people who do not. Will sees his old friends making new relationships and moving on without him. This reality truly sets in when his old girlfriend Alicia and his old best friend drop by to give him some news, “‘I thought, we thought--that it would only be right to let you know...but, well, here’s the thing. Rupert and I are getting married.’” “‘But, you know, life goes on. You must know that. It’s been two years, after all’” (56). Will’s depression had pushed them away from him and now, hearing that they are moving on has only made him more upset. For Will, everyday life reminds him of what he can’t have and what a disadvantage he is at. Just a simple outing that may have been fun, can turn disastrous because of his disability, like when his wheelchair got stuck in the mud at the track. By showing the reader these inconveniences for Will and the people around him , Moyes reveals that even if Will were to come out of his depression, he will never be able to escape the reality that life is is just not the same, and therefore, euthanasia should be an accepted

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