I Am The Messenger

Much of Zusak’s work centers the experiences of working-class Australians and emphasizes the importance of connection and community. The author draws from his own background to realistically portray these circumstances. Zusak was born into a working-class family in Sydney in 1975. His parents were German and Austrian immigrants who saw education and mastery of the English language as their children’s key to opportunity. Zusak held various jobs before becoming a professional author, working as “a house painter, a janitor and a high school English teacher” (“Markus Zusak Biography.” Chicago Public Library, 31 Oct. 2012).

His first published novels were a trilogy about a working-class Australian teenager named Cameron Wolfe and his “struggle to define himself within his family and society” (“Markus Zusak Biography.” Chicago Public Library, 31 Oct. 2012). Zusak loosely based Cameron and his brother Ruben on himself and his own brother. Over the course of the trilogy, Cameron grapples with love and loss while striving to support his family.

In his fourth book, I Am the Messenger, Zusak again focuses on the lives and struggles of the working class. At the beginning of the novel, 19-year-old cab driver Ed feels like a failure because he never left the problem-plagued town where he grew up. In the end, he finds meaning and identity by staying in his hometown and transforming his community one life at a time. Zusak examines several social issues in this novel. For example, Audrey and the woman from Edgar Street are both survivors of domestic violence. The protagonist himself is no stranger to real-world problems either. He grew up in poverty, and his family’s low socioeconomic status was due in part to his father’s alcoholism.

In addition to these more visible social problems, Ed’s town has a more insidious, underlying issue—a pervasive sense of loneliness and purposelessness. This is seen in the way that the elderly Milla Johnson seems forgotten by society, and the problem also affects the town’s young people. For example, Ed and his friend Ritchie feel as though they have no direction in life while those with better prospects, such as Ed’s brother, Tommy, move away to seek opportunities elsewhere. Isolation and indifference force families and individuals to contend with their problems alone.

As the messenger, Ed fights against this pervasive loneliness with the power of human connection. A few of the characters who receive Ed’s messages are from a higher socioeconomic class. For example, Sophie lives in a wealthy neighborhood, and Bernie bought a movie theater after he retired and doesn’t need to make any money from the venture. However, most of the characters are working-class and need Ed’s help with problems common to their lower-class town. In some cases, such as Edgar Street, their day-to-day survival is in jeopardy. The protagonist doesn’t require any professional qualifications to intervene in these difficult situations. His compassion and his understanding of his hometown’s issues are all he needs to improve his neighborhood. While Ed can’t fix every problem for his recipients, he gives them hope by showing them that they’re not alone. For example, new Christmas lights won’t solve the Tatupuses’ financial difficulties, but Ed’s gift makes them feel welcome in their new home for the first time.

The novel’s resolution reveals that Ed is intended to serve as a message about human potential. The author smashes through the fourth wall to suggest that the protagonist’s transformation is something the reader can achieve. Ed’s success comes from helping others and finding a sense of purpose, not from gaining wealth, fame, or other markers of achievement often vaunted by society. By recognizing others’ human dignity and sharing in their struggles, everyone can effect change right where they are. In I Am the Messenger, Zusak demonstrates that both individuals and communities must connect people to reach their potential.