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
Late at night, someone knocks on Ed’s door. Ed takes a deep breath and opens the door. A bald man in a suit with a mustache stands in front of him. He asks Ed if he may come in and, when Ed consents, he sits down at the kitchen table. He opens his briefcase and takes out a letter. He insists Ed open it, but Ed instead asks who sent him. The man, of course, does not know. Finally, Ed opens the letter, which tells him to go down to the cemetery.
The bald man is yet another stranger involved in this scheme, further suggesting the power of the outside forces to influence an individual’s life. The appearance of this man and the other messengers throughout also comment on the form of the novel itself, as the author dictates the actions of a cast of characters to emphasize themes, just as whoever is sending the cards instructs different people to serve some larger purpose.
Themes
At the mention of the cemetery, Ed wonders if his father planned the whole scheme of the cards before he died. He knows his father used to walk the streets of the town after leaving the pub, so his father would know the addresses listed on the cards. Ed runs to the cemetery.
Ed’s suspicion that his father is behind the cards shows how one of the main outside forces that dictates an individual’s fate is their own parents; after all, no one gets to choose the family they’re born into.
Themes
Ed finds Daryl and Keith standing next to his father’s grave. Keith says Ed is so similar to his father that he was likely to die just as underachieving as he did. Daryl reveals that he and Keith were hired in order to challenge Ed, so he didn’t actually end up like his father. However, Keith reveals, Ed’s father is not the person who hired them.
Daryl’s words about Ed’s father suggest that while one’s parents have a powerful influence on one’s life, the negative aspects of this influence can be overcome by allowing the challenges of life to create personal growth, as Ed has done with the cards.
Themes
Ed asks Daryl and Keith how they knew he would be at the cemetery at this exact time. They say their employer always tells them where to go and the employer is never wrong. Neither of them knows who the employer is, however. Daryl reveals that they came here tonight to remind Ed not to die in the same state his father did. Daryl and Keith tell him he has to wait a little while longer and then they walk away. Ed thanks them, but he knows they don’t hear him, and he will never see them again.
Daryl and Keith’s revelation about the employer suggests a divinely powerful, omniscient power acting upon the character’s lives. Daryl’s reminder that Ed should try not to become like his father also emphasizes how negative examples can be used to motivate an individual into doing more than they think they are capable of.
Themes
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Ed waits a few more days and then one day at dawn, a young man gets into Ed’s cab. When Ed asks him where he wants to go, the young man says Ed’s own address. Ed freezes, but the young man orders him to drive. As Ed approaches his house, the young man removes the cap that has been concealing his face. Ed realizes the man is the failed bank robber from the start of the book.
The reappearance of the bank robber shows Ed’s life has been controlled since the beginning of the novel. This revelation further emphasizes the meta-commentary of the narrative, as it suggests that every event in Ed’s life has been designed to convey a larger message, just as the author has written the book to emphasize certain points.
Themes
The robber instructs Ed to drive past each address he went to for the mission. Lastly, they drive past Ritchie’s house, the playground where Marv met his daughter, and Audrey’s place. Ed wishes he could stay forever in the happy memories with his friends, but he and the man return to Ed’s house. The robber pulls a mirror from his pocket. He holds the mirror up to Ed’s face and asks him if he remembers how, at the trial, he said that every time Ed looked in the mirror, he should see a dead man.
The robber’s instruction to pass every house relevant to the mission suggests that Ed must reflect upon his accomplishments in order to continue improving, an idea that is made literal when the robber brings out the mirror. This moment makes it clear that avoiding being a “dead man” means constantly evolving and leaving old versions of oneself behind. As the robber suggests, self-reflection is a key part of this process.
Themes
Ed envisions Angelina, Milla, and Sophie. He remembers Father O’Reilly’s laughter, Angie’s ice cream, and the brotherly love of Gavin and Daniel. He sees the Christmas lights, his mother’s disappointment and love, and Bernie’s old cinema. He sees all this in the mirror, as well as Ritchie by the river, Marv in the park, and Audrey in the three minutes they danced together. The man asks Ed if he still sees a dead man in the mirror. Ed says no, and the man says then this entire scheme was worth it. The man says goodbye forever and tells Ed to go inside.
Before helping others, Ed looked in the mirror and saw a dead man, suggesting that one’s life is meaningless if they do not strive beyond their perceived potential in order to help others, as the cards drove Ed to do. The robber’s conviction that the scheme was worth it expresses the view that seemingly immoral actions, such as spying on Ed, are justified in order to improve the lives of others.
Themes
