I Am the Messenger

I Am the Messenger

by

Markus Zusak

The Young Man in Black Character Analysis

The young man in black is another person the man with the cards sends to guide Ed in his mission. This unnamed character dresses in all black and has yellow-colored eyes. The character is generally hostile and impatient whenever he encounters Ed. He helps Ed find the “stones of home” on the Ace of Clubs and helps Ed run into Ma while he works on the Ace of Spades. He shows that Ed is not the only character whose life is controlled by the man with the cards, though Ed never finds out exactly how this character fits into the plans of the man with the cards.
Get the entire I Am the Messenger LitChart as a printable PDF.
I Am the Messenger PDF

The Young Man in Black Character Timeline in I Am the Messenger

The timeline below shows where the character The Young Man in Black appears in I Am the Messenger. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
6 of Clubs: The Stones
Hope, Caring, and Beauty Theme Icon
...Around four in the morning, he picks up his final customer of the night, a young man dressed all in black. When Ed asks him where he wants to go, the young... (full context)
Purpose, Success, and Meaning Theme Icon
Hope, Caring, and Beauty Theme Icon
Ed pulls over near the river and reads the fare out to the young man . The young man refuses to pay, even when Ed insists. Suddenly, the young man... (full context)
Heroism, Sainthood, and Ordinariness Theme Icon
Hope, Caring, and Beauty Theme Icon
Ed collapses from exhaustion. He hears the young man laugh before he disappears. He stands alone in the darkness and listens to the river.... (full context)
8 of Spades: Clown Street. Chips. The Doorman. And Me.
Purpose, Success, and Meaning Theme Icon
Hope, Caring, and Beauty Theme Icon
...wakes up to someone at his front door. He opens the door to find the young man who led him to the stones of home standing in front of him. He looks... (full context)
Hope, Caring, and Beauty Theme Icon
After the young man leaves, Audrey follows Ed to bed and begs him to tell her about what he... (full context)
9 of Spades: The Woman
Purpose, Success, and Meaning Theme Icon
Hope, Caring, and Beauty Theme Icon
...is in physical pain. For the rest of the day, Ed thinks about how the young man from last night suggested Ed was not the only one receiving missions. He wonders if... (full context)
Joker: The End is Not the End
Circumstance vs. Choice Theme Icon
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... (full context)