No Such Thing as Futile

No matter what the circumstances are, no one in this world is completely futile. In Markus Zusak’s, I Am The Messenger, Ed starts off thinking that he is futile, but progressively realizes that he has worth, determination, and bravery. By helping others, Ed goes through a mental change that allows him to identify these qualities in himself that he never knew he had before.

To begin with, contrary to his belief, Ed realizes that he has worth in himself after completing all the cards, and in turn, helping everyone he needs to help. First, when describing the purpose of the cards, Ed states that the cards make the person completing them better people. Ed admits that by completing the cards, they “make [him]self better – make [him] worth something” (344). By stating that the purpose of the cards is to make the person completing them possess more worth, Ed indirectly states that he himself is “worth something” as he too is someone who completes the cards. Ed contradicts his former self by acknowledging his worth, as he only ever thought of himself as unworthy, before he began to help others. Next, in the end of the novel, Ed realizes that he is actually a message that people will look up to. Ed experiences an epiphany as he realizes that “[He is] not the messenger at all. [He is] the message” (357). Completing the cards allows for Ed to become a positive message to others that states: if he can do it, then other people can too. By admitting that he is the message, he also acknowledges that he knows he has enough worth for other people to look up to him and follow his actions. He goes through a huge change by admitting this; as he goes from envying role models in the beginning of the book, to actually becoming one. For these reasons...

... middle of paper ...

... the fact that he has already been brave once in the Edgar Street situation and also, the fact that bravery is a quality that does not go away. Therefore, Ed is able to recognize the bravery that he has and use it to challenge Gavin. Thus, Ed recognizes and uses the bravery in himself to overcome obstacles that prevent him from reaching his goal, which is to help others.

In conclusion, Ed goes through a change in mentality in which helps him to realize positive qualities in himself that he never notices before helping others. Throughout the novel, Ed starts to notice that he has many positive qualities in himself; the most prominent being worth, determination, and bravery. In the end, no matter what one thinks, they are not useless or made up of negative qualities. There is always something wonderful about a person, though they just might not know it yet.