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 buys food and alcohol for his Christmas party with his friends. Audrey arrives at his house, but she has to leave early to see her boyfriend. Ritchie arrives on his bike. Marv is late, and Ritchie speculates he won’t come because of their deal that he has to kiss the Doorman. Ed says Marv will always come for free food. Finally, Marv arrives, and Ritchie demands he kiss the dog. Marv protests but the friends hassle him until he kisses the Doorman.
Ritchie cares deeply about the silly prank of Marv kissing a dog, suggesting that if one does not have a meaningful purpose in life, they will put greater importance on trivial events.
Themes
The friends play cards and enjoy each other’s company. Audrey’s boyfriend comes over and hangs out with them for a while. Ed can tell Audrey doesn’t love the boyfriend. After Audrey and the boyfriend leaves, Ed, Marv, and Ritchie attend a community bonfire on Main Street. There, Ed spots Angie Carusso and her children. Angie walks up to Ed and hands Ed an ice cream cone. She tells Ed she is doing just okay, but that’s good enough for now.
Angie’s words complicate Ed’s previous feelings about being “just okay.” Ed seems to want a richer emotional life than being “just okay,” but Angie indicates that sometimes feeling okay—rather than filled with some kind of dramatic emotion—is sometimes a necessary part of life. This moment suggests that learning to embrace that kind of balance will be one aspect of Ed’s ongoing growth process.
Themes
Ed overhears a father gently chastising his son and this makes Ed miss his own father. He leaves the bonfire to go to the cemetery alone. He finds his father’s grave and remembers how he cried at his funeral. Ed wishes he could have said something nice about his father at the funeral, because though his father never achieved any success, he was still kind to everyone. Ed walks away, knowing he does not want a wordless funeral like his father’s.
Ed’s thoughts about his father’s funeral suggests that one should not only strive to be decent to those they encounter but should also actively strive to have a positive impact beyond their own lives. The motivation Ed finds in his father’s death shows how examples of wasted potential can motivate one to find purpose in their own life.
Themes
Ed returns home to find Ritchie and Marv asleep outside. He wakes Ritchie up and tells him it is time to go home, but Ritchie confesses he doesn’t want to go home. For a moment, Ed recognizes a deep sadness in Ritchie’s eyes, but the emotion quickly disappears. Ed tells Ritchie he can sleep there tonight and then goes out to bring Marv inside.
Ritchie’s sadness shows how even seemingly happy people can be suffering internally. Ed’s sensitive attention to this reality demonstrates how his missions have made him more attuned to the needs of others, even when those needs are subtle.
Themes
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Ed settles Ritchie on the couch and Marv in Ed’s own bed. He collects his cards from his nightstand. He sits at his kitchen table and remembers fondly the cards he has already completed. He still worries over the next card, however, and he cannot sleep.
Ed’s worry over the next card reflects the vulnerability one feels when confronted with the possibility of failure, but Ed’s happy memories of the previous missions indicate that he now sees that it’s worth it to overcome such vulnerability.
Themes
