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
Two days after Christmas, Ed visits Bernie at the theater. He asks Bernie about the movie titles on the Ace of Hearts. Bernie talks about one of the titles, Roman Holiday, which stars Audrey Hepburn. Ed focuses on the name, Audrey. Bernie looks up the other titles in his movie catalog. The movie Cat Ballou stars Lee Marvin, whose name reminds Ed of Marv. The movie The Suitcase was directed by Pablo Sanchez, who has the same last name as Ritchie. Ed fears this card will be the most challenging mission, because he sees now that it involves his friends.
Ed’s apprehension at realizing the next card involves helping his friends shows that, while one might expect helping those they already care for to be easier than helping strangers, helping loved ones may be the more difficult task because of the vulnerability and tension that come with close personal relationships.
Themes
Ed hurries through the streets, filled with fear. He wants to run to Audrey and help her as soon as possible, but he decides to go by the order of the names on the card, which would be Ritchie, Marv, and then Audrey. He has no idea what Ritchie could need, so he goes to Ritchie’s house and sits down across the street. Late at night, Ritchie enters the kitchen alone and sits at the table, doing nothing.
Ritchie’s behavior here suggests an aimless, lonely life. This is a possibility that Ed has never really considered before, even though he and Ritchie spend lots of time together. This combined with Ed’s uncertainty about how to help Ritchie shows that even close friends struggle to know how to care for each other.
Themes
As Ed is about to stand up, he realizes two men are looming over him, eating pies. They are hard to recognize without their face masks, but he suspects they are Daryl and Keith. Ed fears they are going to beat him up again, but Daryl hands him a pie and promises they won’t hurt him. Daryl and Keith sit with him and bicker about whether or not Ed will spill sauce on his shirt. Then Keith apologizes to Ed for their fighting, which Ed interprets as a sign that they have been instructed to treat him nicely.
The fact that Daryl and Keith do not beat Ed up suggests that Ed has matured enough that he does not need to be forced to do what is morally good. This suggests that when one makes a practice of helping others, as Ed has done, they become more skilled and intuitive in how to best care for people.
Themes
Ed, Daryl, and Keith joke around with each other until the light goes off in Ritchie’s kitchen. Ed laments that he has missed his chance, but Daryl has no idea what that means. Neither, according to Daryl, does Ed. Keith tells Ed that Ritchie is Ed’s best friend, so he already knows what to do. As they walk away, Ed realizes he knows exactly what he should do. The knowledge tears Ed apart inside. He envisions his three friends, Ritchie, Marv, and Audrey, and knows the Ace of Hearts will cut into all of them like a knife.
Ed’s realization about his friendship with Ritchie shows that in order to care for another person, one must first seek a deeper understanding of that person. It seems, however, that such understanding and the growth it brings can also be quite painful for everyone involved.
Themes
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