I Am The Messenger

The guarded, loving, and inwardly conflicted Audrey is one of Ed’s closest friends and his love interest. Ed provides the following description of the 19-year-old: “She has yellow hair, wiry legs, the most beautiful crooked smile in the world, and lovely hips, and she watches a lot of movies” (15). Ed’s love for her shines through these words, but his feelings remain unrequited for much of the novel. Audrey guards her heart from emotional attachments due to her painful past. As much as she tries to keep herself from loving Ed, her care for him reveals itself again and again throughout the novel. For example, her boyfriend, Simon, deduces that she’s in love with Ed. Whenever Audrey needs a sense of safety, she seeks out Ed. After one such night over at his place, she tells him, “You know, out of everyone, you know me the best, and you treat me the best. I feel most comfortable with you” (236). Still, fear keeps her from pursuing a romantic relationship with Ed until the very end of the story.

Audrey’s character arc is about resolving this internal conflict and allowing herself to love freely. She is the third and final message for the ace of hearts, a fitting suit for two lovers who have yet to untangle their complicated feelings. The dance is an effective strategy because Audrey dreads attachments, but she can embrace her feelings for three minutes. The length of the song acts as a safety net, allowing her to take those first crucial steps toward self-acceptance. This moment in Chapter 51 helps Audrey find the courage to start a relationship with Ed weeks later. In the story’s final chapter, she conquers her fear of emotional intimacy and draws Ed out of the stunned, frozen state the author’s visit left him in. When she tells Ed that their relationship belongs just to them, she gives the novel a happy ending that celebrates love, free will, and the power of human connection.

One of the novel’s most important secondary characters is Marvin Harris, Ed’s miserly, brash, and loyal best friend. Marv “has thick blond hair that stands up almost in knots,” and he “always looks like he’s laughing with sarcasm at something, privately” (34). His permanently snide expression suits his personality, which Ed describes as “problematic at the best of times. Argumentative. Less than amiable” (5). Marv quickly establishes his brashness when he argues with the armed bank robber in Chapter 1. The subject of this ill-advised invective is Marv’s ramshackle Ford Falcon. Even though Marv saves up thousands, he refuses to replace the car, much to his friends’ bafflement. Another of Marv’s quirks is the great importance he places on the Annual Sledge Game, a December tradition in which the neighborhood gathers for a barefoot soccer match. Near the end of the novel, Ed reasons that his best friend is so attached to the Sledge Game because he has little else in his life. Soon afterward, Ed learns that Marv has a greater capacity for commitment than Ed ever realized: Even though Suzanne Boyd disappeared with their unborn child three years ago, Marv never moved on, and he sets aside all the money he saves for them.

Marv furthers the plot at key moments, and his transformation shows the power of human connection. His broken-down car foils the bank robber’s escape plan, enabling the moment of heroism that incites the novel’s action. After Ed receives the ace of clubs, Marv helps Ed deliver the message for Father O’Reilly by spray painting the road with an advertisement for Meet a Priest Day. When Marv becomes the recipient of a message during Part 4, he reminds the reader that even the people closest to them may carry painful secrets and heavy burdens. Ed and Marv consider each other best mates, but Ed doesn’t truly understand Marv until the ace of hearts pushes him to take the plunge. When Marv tells Ed about Suzanne and their child, the usually brash, detached man breaks into tears. Ed realizes that much of what he considers essential to his friend is a form of armor: Marv’s “abhorrent vigilance with money” and “argumentative disposition” help him cope with his guilt and the fact that “he is suffering, completely alone” (317). Ed’s questions crack through this armor and find Marv’s heart. Marv is rewarded for his vulnerability by finally being able to meet his daughter and to see the young woman he loves after three years apart. This experience transforms his friendship with Ed and allows Marv to become a more honest, generous, and compassionate person as evidenced by his attempts to help his friend near the novel’s end.

The apathetic, humorous, and despondent Dave Sanchez is another one of Ed’s friends and supporting characters who needs a message. Dave has “dark skin,” “permanent whiskers on his face,” curly hair “the color of mud,” and eyes that are “black but friendly” (33). His nickname is a joke about an unfortunate tattoo: “We call him Ritchie because he has a tattoo of Jimi Hendrix on his right arm but everyone reckons it looks more like Richard Pryor” (32). When it comes to banter, Ritchie gives as good as he gets. His quips enliven Ed’s friend group and offer comic relief. For example, when Marv pretends to forget about his agreement to kiss the Doorman, Ritchie is delighted to remind him: “‘Marv,’ he announces, ‘you will kiss this dog.’ He motions to the Doorman. ‘And when you kiss him, you’re going to like it. You’re going to do it with a big bloody smile on your face’” (274). However, Ritchie’s humor hides a heavy heart. He feels as though he is drifting aimlessly through life, and he spends his sleepless nights listening to the radio in his parents’ kitchen. One reason Ritchie struggles to change is the crushing inertia of his apathy. On the surface, Ritchie appears to be an amusing, nonchalant young man, but inside he’s filled with shame over his aimless life.

Ed gives Ritchie the push that he needs to take his first tentative steps toward growth and change. Of the three friends on the ace of hearts, Ritchie is the first, and his message gives Ed a practice round before he tackles the more daunting messages for Marv and Audrey. In addition to preparing the protagonist for these future challenges, Ritchie’s arc allows the reader to reflect on Ed’s progress over the course of the novel. In the beginning, Ed feels just as lost and purposeless as Ritchie. He finds something that drives him when he becomes the messenger, so he can help his friend start the search for meaning, too. Ritchie’s job search is still ongoing when the novel ends because his growth is not just about finding employment, but rather about taking an active role in his life.