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
The next morning, Ed goes over to his Ma’s house for Christmas. His sisters arrive with their kids and husbands. His brother, Tommy, brings his beautiful new girlfriend, Ingrid. Ma seems the least happy to see Ed out of all the children. After lunch, Ed begins to leave to go pick up Milla. His Ma mocks him for leaving so soon, but Ed walks away from her indifferently.
Ma’s preference for the other siblings shows how she still measures success in life by traditional standards of career and romantic success. But Ed’s indifference toward her, contrasting with his previous anger, shows that helping others has helped him let go of traditional views of success.
Themes
Tommy stops Ed on the front step to make sure he is okay. Ed say he is fine. Ed and Tommy chat casually about their lives and laugh, for the first time feeling comfortable with each other. Ed knows he won’t speak to Tommy again for a while, because that is not the dynamic of their relationship. For now, Ed is content to spend just this small amount of time with his brother.
Tommy and Ed’s interaction mirrors the interaction between Father O’Reilly and his brother, which shows that the struggle for family members to connect is a universal problem. This also shows how caring is a continuous act of slow progress rather than something that changes all at once.
Themes
Tommy returns to the house and Ed tries to leave. His Ma stops him again. She wishes him a Merry Christmas. Ed tells her that it’s not the place that determines a person’s life but the person themselves. He says that before he leaves this town, he needs to improve himself exactly where he is. Ma is shocked, but she just says, “Okay.” Ed leaves.
Ed walks over to Milla’s home. When he arrives, she hands him a present. He apologizes that he didn’t get her a gift, but she says that his return is enough of a gift. He walks her to his house, and she is so tired from the walk she immediately falls asleep in his living room. When she wakes up, she and Ed have dinner. Milla is very appreciative and insists that Ed open his present. He discovers she has given him a suit. He puts it on, and it fits perfectly.
The suit represents Ed coming into adulthood, as he dons more mature clothes. This moment symbolizes the way that helping people like Milla has caused significant positive changes for Ed himself.
Themes
Get the entire I Am the Messenger LitChart as a printable PDF.
Ed calls a cab to take Milla back to her house. The cab driver turns out to be Audrey’s boyfriend, Simon. Ed rides along with them and takes Milla inside her house. She thanks him but Ed realizes he was the one who was blessed by the chance to spend the day with her. Ed takes Simon’s cab back to his house. Simon asks Ed if he is in love with Audrey. Ed says this doesn’t matter because Simon just wants assurance Audrey loves him. Ed tells him Audrey won’t let herself love anyone, because of her painful past, but Simon says Audrey loves Ed. However, as Ed points out, Audrey chooses to be with Simon.
Ironically, while Ed has been jealous of Simon for dating Audrey, Simon has been jealous of Ed for being the one Audrey truly loves. This suggests that sexual success is not what makes a person happy, as Ed previously thought. This moment indicates that love and mutual understanding are what give a relationship meaning, rather than sex.
Themes
