Time
The main theme of the story is the valuing of time. The author leads step by step to that thing that every minute is to be appreciated, because while complaining that everything is so bad and there might be no more desire to live (like Sarah did), someone might pray for at least some more time to have before death (like Victor did). Albom shows the great influence of time on people’s lives: beginning with the simplest things such as the importance of every minute for Sarah, when she is going to meet her love, and ending with the changes of humankind with the time. The author wants the reader to think over the question of time, why no one knows how much time he has before death comes. And at the end of the story he gives the answer: only this non-acquaintance makes at least somehow appreciate one’s time, one’s life.
Family values
Family, family values and relationships are vividly revealed in the story. The author shows how necessary is love of close people: parents, wives/husbands, children. Maybe there are times when they especially need support, but are not provided with it properly. But, unfortunately, no one knows how much they are destined to be, so it is important to catch every single moments to spend more time with our dearest, to show them our feelings, our adherence to them. “Carpe diem!” (Enjoy the pleasures of the moment! Lat.) – the author says, when telling about Sarah, who realizes how much her mother loved her only after her death, about Victor, when he sees his wife’s deep favor to him also after his death. The author gives the protagonists one more chance to change something with their closest people.
