Reading Response: Ed's Decision

One of the many questions I asked myself while reading part 1 of I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak was why Ed decided to take the card and run with it instead of ignoring it. Many reasons came to mind that link to themes that show up in the story. Ed is admittedly pretty close to a failure in most of the areas of his life. He explains how he has no real work, was never any good at school, and isn’t smooth with women at all. He basically drives cabs around to make a living and spends most of his time drinking and playing cards with his three closest friends, Marv, Ritchie, and Audrey. The only other being he spends a good amount of time with is his dog, the Doorman. Ed began feeling useless at a young age because of what his childhood consisted of. His dad was a drinker and his mom didn’t care for him much. He had other siblings who became successful and had turned out just fine, and he couldn’t help but realize that he went about his days with no real purpose. When the first card showed up in Ed’s mailbox he felt something for the first time in a long time. The addresses and times that were shown on the cards sparked interest in Ed’s mind that contrasted with the usual boring, meaningless thoughts he had.

If his life prior to receiving the card had been more of a success, there is a large chance that Ed would have ignored this and seen it as a waste of time or merely a stupid game. This shows the theme that everything happens for a reason. If Ed hadn’t became what he was he may never have looked into the addresses and uncovered the stories that took place at each one. Another instance in which this theme is shown is when Ed and Sophie talk to each other after many instances of Sophie seeing him watching her run and ignoring him. If she had not talked to him they would never have realized the liking they had taken to each other. Ed’s situation applies to many other themes as well, one of them being that everything is not what it seems. Ed had never expected these addresses and times that were meaningless to him at the time to be so important to the purpose of his life. I think that throughout the story there will be more surprises that prove that everything is not what it seems. The final theme that I found evident in part 1 of I Am The Messenger was that everyone needs someone to be there for them. For example, Milla needed Jimmy back because she had loved him ever since he went off to war, and because Ed knew that everyone needs someone, he stayed and comforted her. The mother on Edgar St. needed someone to take control of her abusive husband and set him straight, and again Ed was there. These messages begin to show a pattern of sending Ed where he is needed most and I predict that this pattern will continue with the Ace of clubs, hearts, and spades.