Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in I Am the Messenger, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Circumstance vs. Choice
Heroism, Sainthood, and Ordinariness
Purpose, Success, and Meaning
Hope, Caring, and Beauty
Summary
Analysis
Ed and Audrey are drinking on his front porch when she asks him if he still has the Ace of Diamonds. Ed says he is still working on the mission of the card. Ed’s not sure if he can handle more missions. In the meantime, he continues to read to Milla and to watch Sophie lose at her races. Ed knows Sophie needs to somehow recreate the spirit she possesses on her morning runs, so Ed hands Sophie’s father an empty shoebox to give to her.
The empty shoebox represents Sophie in her most natural state, barefoot. This shows that Ed believes that Sophie already possesses the qualities needed to succeed; she just needs to look within herself and rely on those qualities. This represents the view that the factors behind a person’s success are not external but internal—a lesson that Ed hasn’t yet applied to his own life.
Themes
At the next athletic meet, Sophie is barefoot. However, on the first lap of the race, she trips and falls. She gets back up and sprints as fast and as free as she does in the mornings. She passes all the other runners, until she is tied with the girl who always beats her. As they near the finish line, Sophie is in pain, but has never looked more alive. Sophie comes in second, but Ed sees on her face the same beauty and spirit that is present during her morning runs.
Sophie has failed to achieve society’s idea of success, which is winning the race, but she has discovered a greater form success, as shown by the triumph of her inner spirit. This suggests that success should not be defined by the expectations of others, but instead is achieved by creating meaning within oneself.
Themes
