The Messenger

I agree that great literature will always involve characters that learn through their journey, not their destination. In the novel, The Messenger by Marcus Zusak a character named Ed Kennedy who is a “nobody” in a “dead end town” who is delivered mysterious playing cards with people’s addresses on them. At each address he finds someone in need of help and subsequently receives another card when he has helped each person and so his journey begins. Along the way, Ed learns that he, like everyone else, has the potential to be extraordinary if they break free from the limitations in their lives which also relates to the reader too. Zusak uses character development, conflict, pathetic fallacy and a motif of light to help show us that Ed learns more from his journey than from the destination.

 Firstly, the use of character development for Ed Kennedy is a technique used by Zusak to show readers that Ed progressively becomes stronger mentally and that everyone has the potential to be extraordinary. At Edgar Street, Ed has to overcome his fear and scare the man away from hurting his family. At first Ed finds it difficult to help because Ed is not a strong person physically and is worried that the whole thing may potentially backfire as the other man is physically stronger and bigger than him. This is where the readers know that the journey is where characters learn more than their destination because here Ed’s character develops. He finds the idea of killing the man difficult therefore he has to confront and surpass the limitations within although his “heart begins to suffocate me”. Ed learnt that his physical size should not hold him back in life but to have confidence in himself to break free from constraints. Sometimes we underestimate ourselves such as Ed in the Sledge Game when he manages to tackle Mimi who is much larger than him. Readers and Ed learn from this journey to give every opportunity a try despite how difficult it may seem because we do not know our maximum potential till we have achieved or failed a task.

Further along Ed’s journey, another development in his character was noticed when he confronts his mother. Ed asks why she hates him compared to the rest of his brothers and sisters. Ed finds this task difficult because he feels he has let his mother down because of his career and lifestyle. This is difficult also because by talking to her he is opening himself up for more hurt as he discovers the truth. During this journey he develops from this challenge by confronting his mother because he has removed the power his mother once has in his life. He discovers that “it takes a lot of love to hate you like this” and knows what he needs to change in his life to make his mother proud of him. This journey has been an important milestone in Ed’ character development, we learnt that although the truth is ugly, we need to face it. The reality is, the problem exists, and we can’t hide from it or avoid it because it may make it even worst. We have to learn to deal with it and move on in order to succeed in life.

The use of pathetic fallacy and the light motif also helps readers agree that characters learn more from their journey than their destination. Pathetic fallacy in “The Messenger” is used when dawn breaks open upon the stones of home. “The world is lightening, taking shape and turning to colour...I see us there.... I breathe out. Happy”. The idea of dawn portrays to readers an image of a new beginning to Ed’s life and it is this journey where he learns that how happy he is when he thinks about childhood. The dawn represents a turning point in Ed and his life. This is signs of a great literature because Ed has learnt that he is still not too late to make a change in his life and realise his potential. It showed us how important childhood memories are because that is when we are at the most worry-free and happy because we still do not have to live in the ‘real world’ yet where we encounter many stress causing life problems.  The motif of light is used in The Messenger when Ed buys the Tatupu family a new set of Christmas lights and discreetly places it on the porch. He is then invited to see “the old fibro house” being “lit up”. He mentions that “the lights are so beautiful that they seem to hold the house up by themselves” and mentions that it is about “small things that are big”. Although the lights are small, the action of buying them is small but the result means a lot to the Tatupu family. Ed and the readers have learnt from this journey that extraordinary isn’t all about big actions and achievements but meaningful ones. It makes us question what little changes we can make in our own lives that will have meaningful results for us and for others.

To conclude, it has been shown that characters learn more from their journey than their destination as shown by Ed because as the novel progresses, his character develops into a better/more capable person than before. A great literature is judged on that because readers can see how the character ‘grows’ as a result of a challenge and without this readers would not be able to understand or appreciate a novel as well.