The overarching question that people ask regarding to the afterlife is: "Are there consequences or rewards in that next life for what we did in this life?" (Garrett)
We see this concept directly identified in The Good Place. In the opening scene, Michael explains to Eleanor how she died. Her death had a sarcastic spin to it, symbolizing that she didn't have the best character while she was on earth. Throughout the show they release other events that contributed to Eleanor's poor reputation on earth such as not being a good friend, getting more intoxicated than what is deemed acceptable, and working a horrible job that involved selling fake medicine to elderly people. The plot later hints that there was a mistake when Eleanor was accepted to the good place. Nothing in the good place aligns to Eleanor's ideal life, and Chidi, her supposed soulmate in the show, begins to teach her how to be a selfless person. Her actions on earth were supposed to have sent her to the bad place, and if she is discovered, she will be forced to leave. All these actions reflect humans concept of moral codes reflecting your placement in the afterlife. This concept also aligns with Martin's idea of habitus. Part of habitus is "one's matrix of perception" which differs from class to class. Depending on what social class you are born into, your ideas of morals and actions can be affected by one's habitus. But what constitutes as correct or incorrect habitus? This is what the authors of The Good Place seem to want the audience to question as Eleanor continues to be surrounded by phenomenal people with major accomplishments on earth. What do you have to do or not have to do to be accepted into Heaven? What is deemed morally correct?
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