Point of View

The point of view of They Both Die at the End is mostly first person, narrated through Mateo and Rufus. Consequently, the reader is able to understand the feelings of Mateo and Rufus before they share themselves fully with one another. The reader understands Mateo’s fear of the outside world before he meets Rufus and the audience knows that Rufus’ family died before he ever reveals the story to Mateo. The two characters have very different viewpoints on their End Day, with Mateo fearing death and not accepting that it is his last day, while Rufus is much more self-aware and has come to accept his End Day. This difference in attitude ultimately exposes itself through the first person point of view of each of the characters.

While the parts that are told from the point of view of Rufus and Mateo are in...