Written originally for English Communications, a Stage 2 subject, during 2005.

“How does Markus Zusak tell Ed’s story in The Messenger?”

Markus Zusak tells the story of Ed Kennedy, through the use of narrative from Ed’s character – Ed is the novel’s protagonist. The story is told using humour, symbolism and clever writing format.

The setting for the story is low-income residential suburban Australia, just outside Sydney. Ed knows this area very well as the district is quite small and he is a taxi driver, naturally making him fairly acquainted with the surroundings. Some of the houses are dreadfully poor, like the Tatupu family’s home, while some areas are fairly well-off financially, like the one Sophie resides in. The area that Ed lives in is the former, in the more underprivileged suburb; this setting alone adds much to the feel and impact of the story, as we know sympathize more with our “hero” – he is an underclassman, modeled on the iconic “Aussie Battler” figure. He knows what his significance in life is - nothing.

The main characters of the novel are Ed and his three friends; Audrey, Marvin and Ritche, whom he often plays cards with. Other characters, of a less-important stature, include members of Ed’s family and various people from his neighborhood. All of the characters in the novel contrast each other wonderfully, and this is due entirely to the fact that they are skillfully created by Zusak, who gives us such defined characters that we can conjure up an image of them in our minds with ease.

The way in which Ed Kennedy’s character is written by Marcus Zusak is very specific to show us, the reader, what traits the main character has – we know he has respect, loyalty and, ultimately, courage. We learn all of these things about Ed, piece by piece, throughout Ed’s journey as the messenger. The setting works very well with the characters also, weaving together information; Ed has to travel all over town delivering these messages, and this works perfectly with his occupation as a taxi cab driver. The fact that he knows his way so well around town is due entirely to his job, which adds a sense of realism to the story, as most cab drivers know there was around streets very well.

There are brilliant undertones of symbolism strategically scattered throughout the book; most predominantly, is the use of the playing cards as a way of distributing the messages that Ed receives to inform him about the message that he is intended to give. Playing cards are almost synonymous with the ideals of fate and destiny – this is Zusak’s way of symbolizing how Ed is really in control of his own life (not at that point, though), and that he is solely responsible for his actions and, ultimately, his fate. The use of symbolism in mirrors is quite apparent, also; Ed looks at his reflection in a mirror and reflects on himself on an emotional level – just like a mirror reflects aesthetically.

The format that Zusak has used to set out his novel is quite effective – having a chapter for each suit of cards, and a fifth section at the end represented by the ‘Joker’ card, which is quite interesting because in most card decks the Joker is disregarded as an actual playing card – this is also another form of symbolism; there is more to some things than meets the eye. There are twelve “sub-chapters” in the first four sections, each representing the other cards in the suits (ace to king). Within each of these sections, Ed is given a task to do, all of these add up to a climax where Ed has to make use of the skills he has learnt in his journey. This is used as a writer’s tool to help remind us, the reader, what has happened in the novel previously.

The foiled bank robber at the tail end of the book hark’s back to Ed about what, while at the court case, he said to him: “you said that every time that I look into the mirror, that I should remember I’m looking at a dead man” Pg. 379. Hearing this again reminds Ed, in a way, of all the thing that he has had to face along his journey as the messenger. He realized that, with all of the important things that he has accomplished, the most important is that he is alive, a factor unbeknownst to him until that point. Ed replies to this by stating: “Well, it was worth it then” (Pg. 380); giving the audience the feeling that he has learnt, or at least starting to understand, why he has been through what most wouldn’t even dare to.

In conclusion, it is apparent to me that Markus Zusak is controlling the book’s protagonist; he’s sending him these messages, knowing very well that he will endure them and what the outcome will be. The book finishes brilliantly by breaking the fourth wall with the audience by saying “Keep living Ed … It’s only the pages that stop here” Pg. 383. By doing this, the story feels like it is now somehow joined to our reality, no longer just a work of fiction; with this, the audience is, in some way, told to look at their own life. After all, we don’t have pages stopping us.