Purpose, Success, and Meaning Theme Analysis

Ed Kennedy begins I Am the Messenger as a directionless cab driver who laments the meaninglessness of his life due to his lack of professional and romantic success. However, when instructions to help others start appearing in Ed’s life, he learns that purpose, rather than success, gives one’s life meaning. Specifically, Ed learns that the purpose of caring for others is what will bring meaning into his life.

At the beginning of the novel, Ed views his life as a failure because he has not achieved success in either his professional or romantic life. Ed describes his lack of success at the age of 19 by saying: “No real career. No respect in the community. Nothing.” Ed believes he is a failure because he has not earned esteem through professional success. Ed further explains his failure in life by detailing his inability to please women sexually and his inability to start a relationship with his crush, Audrey. He says his sexual ineptitude means he fails as a man, according to society. This shows how Ed views himself as worthless because he does not live up to society’s expectations. Ed’s views of his own failures are compounded by the relative success of his siblings. Ed’s brother, Tommy, is attending university in a big city to become a lawyer, meaning he has the career prospects Ed will never have. His sisters have also moved to the city and had children, showing they have the success in their personal relationships that Ed doesn’t. These comparisons contribute to the sense of defeat Ed feels at the beginning of the novel.

But when playing cards with instructions begin to appear in Ed’s life, he finds meaning in the pursuit of helping others. Whereas Ed previously did nothing with his time except go to work, hang out with his dog, and play cards, after receiving the instructions he dedicates all his time to acts of service. The tasks add an order and structure to Ed’s life that he didn’t have before, thus giving him a sense of purpose as he wakes up each day. Ed discovers that the act of helping others, like reading to the aging Milla or inspiring the young Sophie, brings him joy. Ed’s development shows that one can find purpose in the act of caring for others. Notably, Ed still has not gained the professional or sexual success he lamented not having at the beginning of the novel. Instead, he has found meaning for his life in the greater purpose of helping others.

The final card Ed receives directs him not to strangers, but to his friends. By helping his friends with the central insecurities and losses of their lives, Ed not only reaffirms his own purpose to help others but also learns how his own friends create purpose and meaning outside of the societal expectations Ed held onto in the beginning of the novel. The final card leads Ed to learn more about his friend Ritchie, who appears to only care about his unemployed life of drinking and gambling. Once Ed speaks with Ritchie about his own previously purposeless life of driving a taxi, Ritchie reveals how deeply he is troubled over his own lack of ambition and direction. After their conversation, Ritchie begins to look for a job and starts to feel better about himself for at least trying. This shows how one can give their life meaning by simply searching for their purpose, even if the purpose itself isn’t yet clear. Additionally, Ed discovers that his friend Marv, who only seems to care about his rundown car and his hoard of money, is actually saving funds for his estranged daughter. With this discovery, Ed realizes his friend actually finds purpose attempting to care for his child in the only way he knows how. This turn of events again shows how one can find purpose in taking responsibility for and trying to show love to others. Ed further affirms his own purpose of helping others by reuniting Marv with his child. Finally, Ed helps his friend Audrey by encouraging her to allow herself to love him for just three minutes. This is significant because Audrey has always feared love, even though a part of her wishes to fall in love with Ed. Ed also gives up on his pursuit of being sexually successful in order to enjoy a moment of genuine emotional intimacy with Audrey. This shows that both Audrey and Ed both find meaning in the act of loving and caring for each other.

Before receiving the cards, Ed believed his life was pointless because he did not meet society’s ideas of success. However, when the cards instruct Ed to solve the problems of strangers, he finds a greater meaning for his existence through his new commitment to helping others. He also discovers further purpose in helping his friends and learning about how they create meaning in their own lives. All of this shows that true meaning in life comes not through superficial societal definitions of success but rather through a higher purpose of helping and loving others.