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 is about to leave the field when Sophie, bloody and scratched from the race, approaches him. She thanks him. He tells her she is beautiful and, this time, Sophie does not look away. She asks Ed if he is a saint. Ed thinks about all the labels he has as a mediocre, sexually inept cabdriver. He tells Sophie that he is “just another stupid human,” and walks away.
Ed’s comment that he’s just human in response to claims of sainthood suggests that one does not have to be special in order to perform saintly acts for another. Instead, like Ed observed Sophie and figured out how to help her, anyone can pay attention to the needs of others and perform great acts of kindness for them.
Themes
