“I can feel Eddie inside me, urging me forward. Dan stored Eddie in his heart, and endured. Eddie’s death drained Dan of all he was and of all he felt he had, yet this quote unveils the resilience and perseverance Dan developed because of this death, and of how, in order to continue as always. ” (Pg 181) This quote reveals specifically the way in which Dan grew as a character. “I can’t Dinger’… ‘Take him with you”I look at Eddie… nd I raise my hand and place it on my heart. Central also, to the story, is a new kind of resilience Dan develops in response to Eddie’s death. Eddie’s death, although tragic and heartrending, was vital to Dan, and despite the pain it caused, or perhaps because of the pain it caused, his death allowed Dan to develop and strengthen as a character. This quote demonstrates that Dan has at last gained control over his emotions and that he has, through the death of Eddie, understood the hope there is in rest, in resolution, in peace. ” (Pg 185) This quote precisely expresses just how Eddie’s death was constructive to Dan’s development as a character, as it taught Dan to move on. “I feel strangely calm… while Eddie lies dead… I can feel him inside me, peaceful at last. This quote is taken from the novel at a time when Dan is in mourning, and, contemplating this quote, it is evident that despite his aching and longing, despite his intense pain, Dan is learning he is learning to let Eddie go. “I imagine him laughing… y the time the water reaches my waist, Eddie’s gone. An integral aspect of Newton’s When We Were Two, is how, whilst he journeys from boy to man, Dan learns to let go and to accept loss as a result of Eddie’s death. Therefore, if one views the necessity of Eddie’s death relative to Dan’s development as a character, one concludes that Eddie’s death is of paramount importance and entirely necessary to the story itself.

Crucial to Dan’s strengthening was his learning to be without Eddie, and to live a life not structured by his brother’s needs.

When We Were Two by Robert Newton