Written by: Marcus Zusak
Main Characters
Ed Kennedy
Audrey
Marv
Ritchie
Awards
CBCA (Children’s Book
Council of Australia) Book of
the Year
Plot
Characterisation
Dialogue
Themes/ideas
Symbolism
Allusions
Meta-fiction
Imagery
Messenger quiz
1. Who are Ed’s three best friends?
2. What event starts the book?
3. What order do the cards come in?
4. What order do the cards come in?
5. Who is the man with the briefcase?
The beginning:
The story begins with an introduction to the
character of Ed Kennedy, a down-and-out
underage taxi driver who is in love with his best
friend Audrey, who, to his dismay, feels that she
cares about him too much to date him. Ed is
standing in a bank queue when a robbery takes
place. He accidentally foils the robber’s escape,
and is proclaimed a hero. Shortly after, he
receives an Ace of Diamonds in the mail.
Plot
He completes the tasks; some difficult, some easy
until he has worked his way through the 4 Aces.
The ending:
The last card is a Joker and has his own address written
on it. But as it is made clear in the last lines of the novel
it's all about the realization of chances and potential because as Ed finally says: "I'm
not the messenger at all. I'm the message." We learn that the person sending the
cards was Zusak himself. Ed was the 'guinea pig' of an experiment to see if an ordinary
(very unsuccessful) man could perform the impossible and give hope to the world that
this generation is not useless. As the book comes to a close, Audrey comes to Ed and
reveals that she does love him, deciding to move in with him for good.
Theme!
Recognising the extraordinary in the
ordinary.
What does this mean?
We all have something extraordinary about us, no matter where we
are from or who we are.
We all have the potential to be extraordinary, it’s about taking hold
of your life and making changes, while also taking pleasure in the
little things.
Be kind, be active, take risks, don’t be a bystander. Ed’s life changes
when he stops being a bystander and stops blaming other people
for his own failures.
Success doesn’t always consist of commonly acknowledged
achievements. Just small things…which are big.
I AM THE MESSENGER
CHARACTER ANALYSIS
ED KENNEDY
Ed Kennedy is the epitome of
ordinary; an underage cabdriver
who has “no real career. No
respect in the community.
Nothing.” Ed lives in a cheaply
rented shack with no one except
his foul-smelling dog. He plays
cards regularly with his three
friends, and by his own
admission is not very good at
doing that either.
At nineteen . . .
• At nineteen, Bob Dylan
was a seasoned
performer in Greenwich
Village, New York.
• Salvador Dali had already
produced several
outstanding artworks of
paint and rebellion.
• Joan of Arc was the most
wanted woman in the
world . . . Having created
a revolution.
ED KENNEDY
• Underage Cab driver
• No real career
• No respect in the
community
• Nothing
How does Ed see himself?
• “I haven’t written a song of Dylan proportions yet, or
started painting my first attempt at surrealism, and I doubt
I could start a revolution if I tried – because apart from
everything else, I’m a bit of an unfit bastard.” P21
• “You’re a dead man… it makes me think of my life, my
nonexistant accomplishments and my overall abilities in
incompetence. A dead man, I think. He’s not far wrong.” P
39
• “’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
cardplay… ‘No, I’m not a saint…I’m just another stupid
human.” P74
Before Ed receives the first card in the mail, he
admits that his life is not full of worth. He is
dissatisfied is not bothered to change;
surrounding himself with people that will not
push him to become a better person.
The gunman calls Ed a ‘dead man’ which we take
to be a threat. However, the gunman is actually
talking about Ed’s current state. Ed is a “dead
man” in that he lives a life void of meaning, is
lazy and has no aspirations.
It’s what we do with the hand that’s
dealt to us
‘There’s an aura to this card, and it’s
been give to me. Not to Dickhead Ed.
To me – the real Ed Kennedy. The
future Ed Kennedy. No longer simply a
cab-driving hopeless case . . . Who will
I be?’
Ed choses not to do anything about Edgar street
for a while, he hopes that it will work itself out.
Why do you think Ed is leaving this house for a
while?
What does this say about his character?
“I feel like you’re slipping away somehow.
You’ve become different since this all
started . . . now your somebody. Ed. I
don’t know everything you’ve been done
and what you’ve been through, but I
don’t know – you seem further away
now.” – pg. 231
Twelve messages delivered. Four
aces have been completed. This feels
like the greatest day of my life. I’m
alive, I think. I won. I feel freedom for
the first time in months, and an air of
contentedness wanders next to me
all the way home . . .I don’t know
why I feel it, but any contentedness
vanishes from me . . . Pg. 336
We soon realise that although Ed has helped his
friends there is still one more person Ed must
help . . . himself. Ed has had some meaning
injected into his life by helping others, bit now
he must work on himself.
“I did it because you are the epitome
of ordinariness, Ed.”
“If a guy like you can stand up and do
what you did, then maybe everyone
can. Maybe everyone can live beyond
what they are capable of.
Ed and Audrey
How does Ed’s attitude towards Audrey shine a
light on his character?
How does their relationship develop over the
novel?
Ed and his mother
The relationship between Ed and his mother is
revealing of Ed’s character and also highlights his
development as a character throughout the
novel.
What was Ed’s attitude towards his mother at
the beginning of the book? How does she talk to
Ed, and he to her?
The ‘front-porch cyclone’ reveals a change that
has occurred in Ed. Ed confronts his mother,
asking “Why do you hate me so much?” She
replies that Ed reminds her too much of his
father. She wishes Ed would make more of his
life and wishes he would get out of town. Ed
realises though that ‘its not the place . . . It’s the
people.’
Ed and his father
Ed could have ended up up just like his father –
“ a quarter of what [he] could have been.”
There are many similarities between Ed and his
father. Ed describes his father in the beginning
of the book as a “lonely, kind, quiet, harddrinking deadbeat . . .he was a furniture
deliverer.”
Characterisation - Minor
There a number of minor characters which display our theme “recognising the
extraordinary in the ordinary” very well.
Why are these three extraordinary?
Milla – “She ate a salad and some soup, and loneliness , she ate that too.” “No other man
has entered her life. Not the way her Jimmy did. She’s been waiting years for her Jimmy
to come back. And now he has.”
Sophie – “On her face is the beauty of the morning and for the first time she recognises
it, 5.30 am.”
The Tatupu family on Glory Road – “Sometimes people are beautiful, not in looks, not in
what they say, just in what they are.” “When they laugh you can see the world in their
eyes.”
Milla - Ordinary? Hers is a beautiful story of loyalty and love.
Sophie - Sophie is someone who needed encouragement to be herself. She runs
barefoot, and is only herself in those moments. Ordinary? Ed doesn’t think so. He
thinks she has beauty and grace.
Tatupu family - This family have such love for each other they are extraordinary.
These three show us that it is easy for us to dismiss people, this is about “looking
closer” seeing the quiet heroes, the potential we all have,
recognising that no-one is ordinary we are all capable of greatness and
heroism. Relate to Ed, an educated cab driver who manages to be a hero to
countless people by small, single acts.
That’s so Meta (fiction)
What is metafiction?
Metafiction uses literary techniques to draw attention to itself as a work of art, while
exposing the "truth" of a story. "Metafiction" is the literary term describing fictional
writing that self-consciously draws attention to its status as a piece of art in posing
questions about the relationship between fiction and reality, usually using irony and selfreflection. Metafiction does not let the reader forget he or she is reading a fictional work.
Some things that show you a work is a piece of metafiction are when:
A story containing another work of fiction within itself; A book in
which the book itself seeks interaction with the reader; A story in
which the characters are aware that they are in a story; A novel where the
narrator intentionally exposes him or herself as the author of the
story; A story about a writer creating a story; A story about a
reader reading a book; A story containing another work of
fiction within itself.
How many of these aspects does The Messenger contain?
Metafiction
A good way to think about it is it’s like the author or character winking at you from
within the book. They are “breaking the fourth wall” as they say in theatre. They are
acknowledging this is a work of fiction.
Zusak does this for a specific reason that he makes explicit in the end of the book. He
creates this world and these characters for a reason… what
does he want us
to realise by doing this?
He wants us (and Ed) to realise that if even a character as hopeless and useless as Ed
Kennedy can change his life, realise his potential, and affect change in other’s lives,
than it really is possible for anyone, including the author to do so as well.
Ed is a guinea pig for Zusak to discover the truth about human potential. The
potential to be extraordinary that we all have, if we could just realise it and make it
happen. By putting himself in his own novel and acknowledging Ed’s role as a character
in a book, we see not just Ed’s potential but our own as well. He makes us
question our lives and what we have accomplished. Ed is the message, and Zusak
the messenger. We are the recipients to that message. We just have to be listening.
The perfect Metafiction quotes
How would you explain the importance of
these examples?
What do they show us?
“You are the epitome of ordinariness, Ed… and
if a guy like you can stand up and do what you
did for all those people, well, maybe everyone
can. Maybe everyone can live beyond what
they’re capable of… Maybe even I can.” – p
353
“That’s when I realise… I’m not the messenger
at all. I’m the message.” – 357
Biblical Allusion
Ed the messenger, Ed the saint, Ed the saviour.
Despite seeming to be a no hoper, Ed is forced to play the role of the messenger, the
saint and the saviour when he starts receiving the cards. In this way, Ed is like Jesus
figure, while the person sending the cards/the author/Zusak is the all knowing, all
seeing God.
His acts are not always big, but his small contributions affect change in his own life and
others. By helping people in whatever way they need it, he makes his own life
extraordinary.
The stories told in this novel are akin to parables. Ed must act the Good Samaritan and
help a series of people to find their heart’s desire. But the needs of each are different,
and the type of task required is different too.
Question:
Is he saying Ed is a saint? Or is he showing us something else?
Biblical Allusion quotes
“The damn card is like gravity itself.
Like a cross to strap across my back.”
P 113
“’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… ‘No, I’m not a saint…I’m just
another stupid human.” P 74
“Why have I been chosen for this? I beg,
despite knowing without questions
what I have to do. You were happy with
the other two, I castigate myself. So
now you have to do this one.” P 81
“You know, they say that there are countless
saints who have nothing to do with church
and almost no knowledge of God. But they
say God walks with those people without
them ever knowing it… you’re one of those
people, Ed. And it’s an honour to know you.”
P 156
Imagery
Zusak uses the dark/light,
day/night imagery repeatedly
in the novel.
In the context of our theme
and characters, what could
that dark/light dichotomy
represent?
And what are some examples
that show it?
Imagery
Zusak’s repeated use of light and dark can be seen to
represent good and evil as well as Ed movement from
no hoper to someone with a purpose. He goes from
being someone ordinary to recognising others and his
own potential to be extraordinary.
For example, the fact that Ed chooses to face all of his
earlier “cards” in the dark is a fact not to be
overlooked; as the book progresses and Ed becomes
more confident in his missions, more and more of his
challenges are dealt with during the day.
Egs: “The sun is up – an orange cutout in a cardboard
sky. I make it to the top and kneel down. My hands
touch the cool stone.” One could say Zusak uses the
idea of reaching the top of the rock face as the sun is
rising as a symbol for the perseverance and
determination of Ed in the novel.
This could also be seen as a reflection of Ed’s evolving
conflicts and character in the novel – once dejected
and relatively isolated, the sun is now “rising” from
darkness, dawning on a new chapter in his life and
possibly revealing the answer to the “cards”
themselves.
DARKNESS AND LIGHT QUOTES
“We sit in on the front steps, which are half in
shadow, half in the sun. As it happens, I sit in
the darkness and Tommy sits in the light… I’d
wanted to stay on the porch with him until
the sun shone bright on both of us, but I
didn’t… I’d rather chase the sun than wait for “I cant let him slink off
it.” P 282-283
to that darkness place
inside him, where his
pride is strewn all over
the floor in some
hidden room.” P 302
“The words stagger slowly from Marv’s
mouth. Half his face is trodden with
darkness, covered but I can still make out
the outlines, the forms.” – p 317
“I meet the darkness and
uncertainty of what will come
next. I feel the fear, but I walk fast
toward it.” P 289
Major Symbols
Symbolism – The playing cards
Talk to your neighbour:
What do playing cards represent in life? What associations do they have with
them?
What could they represent in this book? (There may be more than one
correct answer.)
Luck – you might have bad luck but you can’t blame it forever
Chance
Gambling
Doing what you can with the cards you are dealt
Mastering life like you master a game of cards
Taking control – not letting the cards you receive be the end of the story
Where do we see the cards as
symbolic?
The card game - Annoyance
The messenger cards
The structure
The suit themselves
Annoyance
The 4 friends get together every week to play annoyance.
What could this be symbolic of?
(Hint: think about the name…)
The aces
Clearly the cards themselves are symbolic.
Ed says
“I imagine a full hand of aces in that drawer,
fanned out as a player would hold them in a
game. I never thought I wouldn’t want four
aces. In a card game, you pray for a hand like
that. My life is not a card game.” 117
An ace is both the highest card and lowest card in the deck.
When Ed is first sent the cards we see he sees himself as the lowest
common demoninator in society, the low ace. No prospects.
As the cards and messages progress he shifts his view on himself and begins
to recognise his own inherent ability to be extraordinary. The people around
him see him as a saint, and while Ed never sees himself like that he does
realise he was the one holding himself back from being the high ace.
Suits
In addition to the overall symbolism of the cards, the suits each have their own
symbolism.
Your task: Identify what each suit represents. What was Zusak trying to do with the
different meanings of the suits?
Playing cards quotes
“I was lying about throwing out the diamonds.
“Protect the diamonds. Survive the
No one in their right mind would throw
clubs. Dig deep through the spades.
diamonds out, would they? They’re valuable. If Feel the hearts.”
anything, they need protecting.” P70
“Later that night I look in the bathroom mirror.
Two black eyes. Swollen jaw. A blood stream
“I imagine a full hand of aces in that drawer, flowing to my throat… I stare strangely into the
fanned out as a player would hold them in a face of clubs.” P 180
game. I never thought I wouldn’t want four
aces. In a card game, you pray for a hand like
“I have to dig. This is spades so I have to dig.”
that. My life is not a card game.” [ 117
P214
‘People die of broken hearts.
“I remember the diamonds, relive the clubs,
They have heart attacks. And it’s the heart that and even smile about the spades. I worry
hurts most when things go wrong and fall
about the hearts.” P 280
apart.’ p 292
Symbolism - Ed’s
neighbourhood (also
counts as setting)
Ed lives is a town near Sydney, Australia. But his suburb could stand in for many in
New Zealand, or any Western country, it’s an “every town” like the “everyman” in a
virtue and vice story. Meaning it stands in for our own towns and neighbourhoods.
It’s “run of the mill”.
“The town we all live in is pretty run of the
mill. Its past the outskirts of the city and has
good and bad parts. I’m sure it wont surprise
you that I come from one of the bad parts. My
whole family grew up at the far north of town,
which is kind of like everyone’s dirty secret.
There are plenty of teenage pregnancies there,
a plethora of shithead fathers who are
unemployed and mothers like mine who
smoke, drink, and go out in public wearing
ugboots.” P17
What does the
neighbourhood symbolise?
It’s not the place, I think, it’s the people. We’d
have been all the same anywhere else. P 245
“It’s the person, Ma, not the place. If you left
here, you’d have been the same anywhere
else…. If I ever leave this place.. I’ll make sure
I’m better here first.” P 283
The neighbourhood represents our excuses and justifications for why we
aren’t living the lives we should be. It allows us to let luck control our lives. Ed realises this
and determines he will be better in his own home before leaving.
It also shows us that even in a place like this, heroes and extraordinary people and stories
are happening.
Ed uses his neighbourhood as an excuse for his own failure. He blames it for his lack of
motivation and focus.
Don’t use where you come from as an excuse for your ineptitude, your
failure. Ed needs to recognise the ordinariness was him, not where he came from.
Relatable?
I’m from Palmerston North, which has very similar associations.
People think if you’re from Palmerston North you’re going to be a pregnant teen,
an alcoholic, a school drop out. That you’ll wear ug boots to the supermarket,
smoke around your kids, and sign up for the benefit.
Can anyone relate to this?
What effect does it have if people around you are negative about your
community, and you are too?
What message should we take from the novel about where we live and where we
come from?
Where could this kind of connection to the text help in terms of essay writing?
Minor symbols
The Christmas Lights are Ed’s way of making the Tatupu family feel
acknowledged and welcomed. It’s a small gesture, not heroic or brave, but it
means so much to them.
He realises from this act that small things can have a big impact. That the
ordinary can be extraordinary and that behind the façade of an ordinary house
there can be beauty and something special.
It also shows how a small gesture can mean the world to someone.
“Four globes to brighten up the Tatupu
house this year. It’s not a big thing, but I
guess it’s true – big things are often just
small things that are noticed.” P 221
“Lua kisses her. Just softly on the lips.
And she kisses back. Sometimes people
“This isn’t about words. It’s about
glowing lights and small things that are are beautiful. Not in looks. Not in what
they say. Just in what they are.” P 224
big.” P 221
Have a think…. Has anyone ever done
something like this for you? It might seem
small to them but it made your
day/week/year?
Or….
Have you ever done some thing like this for
someone else? Not for the thanks, or the
reward, just to make their day?
If you said no…. Why not? What’s stopping
us?
The Invisible Running Shoes
When Ed meets Sophie he can’t figure out what she needs.
When he sees her run, he sees her true beauty. She is happiest when she runs
barefoot.
By giving her the invisible shoes he is giving her permission to be extraordinary,
to run her races barefoot and enjoy it in the same way she does at 5.30am.
The shoes represent the fact that she had that ability all along, she just needed
to be reminded of it. Each message Ed delivers lets him know the same thing.
Angie Carusso’s icecream
Like the Christmas Lights, the icecream is a
small gesture that has big effects.
Angie is a solo mum with small children. This
is a demanding life with very little
recognition.
Of course she loves her children, but in having
them she has sacrificed a different possible
life.
What does it mean that Ed gives her the
icecream? What is he trying to say to
her?
Dialogue
“It’s the person, Ma, not the place. If
you left here, you’d have been the
same anywhere else…. If I ever leave
this place.. I’ll make sure I’m better
here first.” P 283
“You are like he as… and just like him you were
most likely to die the same way – a quarter of
what you could have been… you see Ed, you
were always an absolute no-hoper – just like
your old man… and we’ve been employed to
test you – to see if you can avoid this life.
“Yes, you’re here – and that’s exactly it!... Look
at this dump. The house, the town,
everything… your father – he promised me
that one day we’d leave this place. He said
we’d just pack up and go, and look where we
are, Ed. We’re stil her. I’m here. You’re here,
and just like your old man, you’re all promises,
Ed, and no results… you could be as good as
any of them… but you’re still here and you’ll
still be here in fifty years… and you’ll have
achieved nothing… I just want you… to make
something of yourself.” P 245
“You know, they say that there are
countless saints who have nothing to
do with church and almost no
knowledge of God. But they say God
walks with those people without them
ever knowing it… you’re one of those
people, Ed. And it’s an honour to know
you.” P 156
Narrative perspective
Zusak has written the story in first person point of view so we can see the world
through Ed’s eyes. It’s important for us to see through Ed’s eyes.
Why?
Zusak needs us to see how although Ed is an “ordinary” person, or potentially below
ordinary at the beginning, he has kindness and is thoughtful. He is encouraging us to
Narrative perspective vs dialogue
Narrative perspective (can also be
called inner monologue)
Dialogue
- Always from Ed’s perspective
- Not things he has spoken but things
he has thought
- Something a character in the book
has said out loud
- Can be any character, not just Ed
Conditions of use
In Essays
Try not to use both narrative perspective and dialogue in the same essay. They are
both good to use, but just try to use one of them. They are a good reliable
paragraph. But having two of them weakens your essay. Pair them with symbolism,
allusion, imagery etc.
If you use them, you MUST memorise the quotes for your examples.