The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride

Jason Cashman is a 10-year-old boy with a heart condition. He narrates the prologue and most of the final chapter as a 30-year-old. Murray initially sees Jason as bewilderingly modern. When they first meet, Murray believes that Jason is disrespectful because he does not call him “sir” or “Mr. McBride” and because he uses a lot of modern slang. While Jason is at times immature or impatient, he also has to contend with the prospect of imminent death, unlike most 10-year-olds. The list that Jason makes helps him come to terms with the future. As time goes on and he gets closer to his potential death, focusing on the list distracts Jason and helps him stay positive. Accepting the Passage of Time is scary for Jason because it only brings him closer to an early death. Jason attempts to teach Murray to play “All-Powerful Gods and Bloodsucking Aliens” (29), a video game that helps Jason temporarily escape his reality. While he and Murray play together, Jason often broaches difficult questions about death and grief, which he is less able to talk about at other times. 

Jason has a loving mother, Anna, who is devoted to her son and does everything she can to make him happy. His relationship with his father, Benedict, is more complex. Since Benedict and Anna divorced, Benedict has put all his energy into working hard to make a lot of money to pay for his son’s medical treatment. He believes that his financial support is enough; he makes no attempt to develop an emotional connection with his son. Jason feels like his dad does not care about him. Murray eventually helps Benedict begin to heal this relationship by showing him The Importance of Human Connection, leading Benedict to visit Jason in the hospital. However, Benedict visits only briefly, even when Jason is dying.

Tiegan is Jason’s friend, but Jason sometimes pretends to find her annoying. She is a mature and intelligent 10-year-old girl who loves baseball. Murray is surprised to meet a girl who is interested in baseball, but he soon comes to respect Tiegan because she’s polite and respectful. They continue to bond over their shared love of baseball, and Tiegan is delighted to learn that Murray knew her great-grandmother, Lavonne “Pepper” Paire, whom Tiegan says played for the Racine Belles and the Rockford Peaches. Tiegan displays remarkable maturity and depth for a 10-year-old, especially compared to Jason. She has a close relationship with her mother, Della, that some people find strange. Tiegan, however, is self-assured and knows that “Other kids just don’t understand. But someday they will” (224). She and her mother have a motto, SBK (strong, brave, kind), that reminds the two of them how to live their lives.

Tiegan’s final act of Selflessness and Sacrifice comes shortly after her death in a car crash. As she dies, Della insists on donating Tiegan’s heart to save Jason. Jason survives, thanks to Tiegan’s lifesaving donation. He goes on to fulfill her final wish of raising a million dollars for people who are unhoused. In the last chapter, it is clear that Della is still a part of Jason’s life and that she still cares about him. She is able to accept that Jason survived while Tiegan did not, and she even assures Jason that Tiegan would be proud of him.

Father James is a Catholic priest at St. Joseph’s, the church that Murray attends. He is a calm, stable character, and Murray often goes to him for help or advice. He finds a teenager to teach Murray to use his email machine to communicate with Jason. He also reaches out to the Big Brother program to help Murray get established as Jason’s official mentor. Father James warns Murray that taking on the task of helping Jason with his wish list is a big undertaking for a man of his age, but ultimately, he believes that this change is exactly what Murray needs. He understands The Importance of Human Connection in Murray’s life and knows that helping Jason might give him the motivation he needs to keep living just a little bit longer. 

Father James and Murray often butt heads over matters of ethics and religion, especially when Murray is angry that Jason might die. Murray is unsatisfied with Father James’s assertion that love is the most important thing when Father James tells him, “Without love, we might as well not even exist” (297). He is similarly dismissive when Father James suggests that Murray should refrain from kidnapping children; despite his objections, Father James does nothing to prevent Murray from acting. Although The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride has a complex relationship with religion, Father James remains steadfast throughout the story. He may not always have all of the answers that Murray needs, but his advice never leads Murray astray.