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5 of Diamonds
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
The next day, Ed contemplates what he has seen as he drives. He prays the missions get easier than having to stop a gigantic rapist from brutalizing his wife. Audrey asks Ed about the address on the card, but he says he can’t tell her what happened.
Ed’s exclusion of Audrey shows that he believes in a brand of heroism where the hero must nobly act alone, so as to shield others from the problems the hero must solve.
Themes
Ed continues to return to the house and watches as the Edgar Street man continues to rape his wife night after night. One afternoon, while Ed is grocery shopping, he sees the wife pushing her daughter in a shopping cart. Ed watches them, until the wife stumbles in one of the isles. She appears to fall to pieces for a moment before standing back up. Ed asks her if she’s okay and she says yes. Ed knows he must act soon.
Ed knows he must act soon because he sees the woman’s suffering, showing how feeling empathy for someone in need will compel one to act. The woman’s recovery after falling apart also suggests that just because one appears like they can survive their suffering, that doesn’t mean another person shouldn’t try to help them.
Themes
