Sophie Character Analysis in I Am the Messenger

Sophie is the teenage girl who lives at the third address on the Ace of Diamonds. She lives in the wealthy part of town and runs barefoot every morning to prepare for her track meets. Ed views her as beautiful and pure. Sophie is shy, especially when speaking to boys. At the beginning of the novel, she always loses her races and feels disappointed in herself. Ed gives her confidence by gifting her an empty shoe box to symbolize how she should run her races barefoot and have more confidence in herself. She still loses her race but feels better about her own abilities. Sophie sees Ed as a saint, even though he does not agree with this characterization. She represents an individual who finds meaning not from outside success but from within themselves.

Sophie Quotes in I Am the Messenger

The I Am the Messenger quotes below are all either spoken by Sophie or refer to Sophie . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

“Are you some kind of saint or something?”

Inside, I laugh. Me? A saint? I list what I am. Taxi driver. Local deadbeat. Cornerstone of mediocrity. Sexual midget. Pathetic cardplayer.

I say my final words to her.

“No, I’m not a saint, Sophie. I’m just another stupid human.”

Related Characters: Sophie (speaker), Ed Kennedy (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 74

Explanation and Analysis:

Sophie Character Timeline in I Am the Messenger

The timeline below shows where the character Sophie appears in I Am the Messenger. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...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... (full context)

Ed continues to watch the girl run in the morning. One day, he decides to run behind her, even though he... (full context)

The next time the girl stops on the field, Ed approaches her and introduces himself. The girl reveals that she... (full context)

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.... (full context)

Ed attends the girl’s athletic meet on the weekend, where he hears the girl’s family call her Sophie. As... (full context)

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.... (full context)

Purpose, Success, and Meaning Theme Icon

...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... (full context)

At the next athletic meet, Sophie is barefoot. However, on the first lap of the race, she trips and falls. She... (full context)

Heroism, Sainthood, and Ordinariness Theme Icon

Ed is about to leave the field when Sophie, bloody and scratched from the race, approaches him. She thanks him. He tells her she... (full context)

Ed feels uplifted by helping Milla and Sophie, but downtrodden by the thought of the first address. He stays up late every night... (full context)

The next day, Ed sits in the park with the Doorman. He runs into Sophie, who tells him that she misses him. Ed says he misses her too. But Ed... (full context)

...Diamonds. Ed tells her the truth about the old woman he read to, the beautiful girl he inspired, and the abusive man he had to kill. Audrey asks him if he... (full context)

...him that he was chosen, and that some of the missions on the card, like Sophie and Milla, were uplifting. And even if the mission with the abusive man was difficult,... (full context)

...Marv tells Ed not to think so much, like Marv used to obsess over his girlfriend who suddenly left him. Ed feels like he should ask more questions about Marv’s life,... (full context)

Ed looks at maps and reads local history books but still cannot figure out where he needs to go. He goes back to the first house from the... (full context)

...Ed is one of these people. Ed doesn’t deny this compliment, like he did when Sophie called him a saint. (full context)

Also on Saturday, Ed travels around town. He invites Sophie and her family to church. He asks Milla if he can take her to church... (full context)

...service, the crowd gathers for food, drink, and karaoke. Ed dances with Audrey, Milla, and Sophie. After the party, Ed and his friends clean up. Before he leaves for the day,... (full context)

...head down to the community athletics fields. Ed remembers all the time he spent with Sophie here. He holds onto the image of Sophie running for a while, before turning toward... (full context)

...to tell her about what he has been doing. He tells her about Milla and Sophie, but then realizes she has already fallen asleep. He continues to tell her about the... (full context)

...family he has met since receiving the first card. He prays he will run into Sophie, because she is unsuccessful like he is (in her running, anyway) and also because she... (full context)

...read to Milla because he thinks she is his favorite mission. However, he also thinks Sophie, Father O’Reilly, and Lua’s family might be his favorite. He feels bad for reminiscing over... (full context)

Ed envisions Angelina, Milla, and Sophie. He remembers Father O’Reilly’s laughter, Angie’s ice cream, and the brotherly love of Gavin and... (full context)

Sophie Character Analysis

Sophie Quotes in I Am the Messenger

Jack of Diamonds Quotes

Sophie Character Timeline in I Am the Messenger