If I Stay - Choice Between Life & Death

If I Stay- English Essay

If I Stay is a beautiful novel by Gayle Forman that explains how one day in the life of Mia was changed forever. Along with this, is the biggest decision of her life and how it unravels. Life is hard and full of choices, we are put in this position asking ourselves, “What would you do if you had to choose” remembering that love can make you immortal even when fazed between life and death.

Each of the characters in this story had their own unique personalities which put a twist on every little detail in the plot. Mia, the main character, was 17 years old who lived with her parents and younger brother Teddy just outside of Portland, Oregon. Over the years of her life she developed a love for music, specifically classical music as she plays the cello. Her close-knit family brought her up to be a loving and caring girl who showed compassion in every part of her. Not only was she in love with music but also a boy named Adam. Adam was also huge into music but not classical like Mia, he was surprisingly into rock music like the rest of Mia’s family. Kat Hall, Mia’s mother, is described as “Tough as nails, tender as kittens”. She was not the typical mother being as her roles in the family are not like most. Despite this, she had much love for her family and was very protective. Loyalty was also one of her characteristics as well as being in love with rock music as mentioned before. Denny Hall, Mia’s father, was quite rebellious even though he was still very mature. He quit his band to pursue teaching and focus on being a “better dad” as he put it. Even though he quit, Mia knows he still loves it. A glimpse of what Kat Hall was like is depicted from a quote by Mia, “I thought about what mom sometimes said to me when I was feeling insecure: “Fake it till you make it.”” (Forman 84). In conclusion, these spontaneous roles play an important part in the whole outcome of the story.

As you begin in this novel, you quickly become pulled into the story of Mia and how her life unwinds in just 24 hours. It starts off as being a snowday and her family deciding to take a trip to their friends, Henry and Willow, when it all changes. They get into a devastating accident where Mia and Teddy are rushed to the hospital leaving their now deceased parents at the scene. Many people come to see Mia as she is in a coma laying in her bed in the ICU. They talk to her about what they think she should do if they were in her situation or what they think would be best. Her grandfather arrives and tells her that he understands if she has to leave this world where as Adam tells her that she can’t leave, she needs to stay. He needs her to say. “All of this business about medically induced comas is just doctor talk. It’s not up to the doctors. It’s not up to the absentee angels. It’s not even up to God who, if He exists, is nowhere around right now. It’s up to me.” (Forman 88). This is just one example of how Mia sees it at the start. When Adam comes in to see her she thinks, “His face, illuminated by the lights, is blank, like someone vacuumed away all his personality, leaving only a mask. He doesn’t look like him. But at least he’s not crying,” (Forman 104). All in all, this novel was brought to life with all the little details encrypted in the plot.

The major theme in this book is choice and the thoughts Mia has while making this settlement. Facing her choice was one of the hardest things for her to do. She finally realizes that she is the one who has to decide what to do, “I decide. I know this now. And this terrifies me more than anything else that has happened today.” (Forman 88). Mia’s favourite nurse, Nurse Rameriz, came to see her next and brought all the emotional support she had with her. Talking to Mia, she told her about how it was all up to her. Many times throughout the day as she struggled to make her choice she thought of how it would be much easier for someone else to choose for her. “I understood all that in my head, but I still didn’t believe it in my heart.” (Forman 94). “In the quiet corner of the ICU I start to really think about the bitter things