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 decides to move on to the third address on the card at the designated time of 5:30 am. He waits outside a nice house until a figure wearing athletic clothes, but no shoes, emerges. Ed hides as he watches the figure run down the street. He waits for the figure to return, and as he is about to leave, he runs into her. He realizes she is a teenage girl and is overcome by her incredible beauty. They make eye contact, but she looks down as she continues running. Ed leaves, still unsure of what this girl could possibly need.
The good condition of the house and the lack of apparent need suggest that even if a person needs help, that need might not be immediately obvious. Furthermore, Ed’s continued wondering at how to help the girl demonstrates that in order to care for another person, one must first try to better understand the person they wish to help.
Themes
Ed continues to watch the girl run in the morning. One day, he decides to run behind her, even though he struggles to keep up. He follows her to the track field, where he watches her do lap after lap. She sees Ed beside the field, but again looks down at the ground. Ed realizes she will never approach him on her own, so he must be the one to talk to her.
The girl’s constant downward look and her shyness around Ed suggest that sometimes the help a person needs doesn’t involve an obvious external factor (such as abuse or loss) but instead has to do with that person’s inner emotional life.
Themes
The next time the girl stops on the field, Ed approaches her and introduces himself. The girl reveals that she recognizes Ed from the articles about the bank robbery. She asks Ed why he is following her but takes his word for it when he says he is not a predator. In her soft, perfect voice, she confesses she struggles with conversations and asks if they can spend these mornings together without speaking.
Though, as the girl points out, Ed’s following of the girl may seem predatory, he is doing this to help her, showing that caring for people can involve actions which others may view with skepticism. Ed and this girl are also connected by their shared lack of social skills, which suggests that perhaps he can help her by empathizing with her.
Themes
Ed continues to stop by the athletic field and watch the girl run every single morning. One day, he decides to observe her as she leaves school. He notes that the girl is fine with her female classmates but horribly shy around boys. Ed hopes she will grow out of her awkwardness, but he knows his job is to help her now.
Ed’s perspective has shifted from wishing life would improve to admitting that he must work to make life improve. This shows that, while he does not choose the mission he is given, he is nonetheless learning that he can choose how to proceed with that mission.
Themes
Get the entire I Am the Messenger LitChart as a printable PDF.
Ed attends the girl’s athletic meet on the weekend, where he hears the girl’s family call her Sophie. As she prepares for her race, Sophie sees Ed and smiles, but looks away immediately after. She wears well-worn spiked shoes, perhaps a good luck charm. Her father tells her that, if she wants it badly enough, she can win the race. Ed now knows what he will do to help Sophie.
Sophie’s father’s speech represents the view that one can succeed if they choose to try hard enough. This contrasts with Ed’s view that one’s success is determined by factors beyond their control. Sophie’s use of the shoes for good luck shows she sides with Ed’s perspective and depends upon fate rather than choice.
Themes
Though he suspects all missions won’t be so easy, Ed allows himself to appreciate watching Sophie run the race beside another girl, who is just a little bit faster than her. Sophie looks devastated when she loses the race, but her father still applauds her. Sophie’s father’s quiet support reminds Ed of his own reserved father. As Sophie returns to her family and takes off her old shoes, Ed knows she needs something better.
Sophie’s devastation at her loss disproves her father’s theory that one can succeed through will alone. Ed’s further identification with Sophie through the similarities between their fathers suggests that by helping her, he is also helping himself. This shows that caring for others improves one’s own life as well.
Themes
