Markus Zusak’s post-modern novel, ‘The Messenger’, investigates how people display unforeseen qualities such as empathy, care, selflessness, courage, justice and love when under stress. The messages that Ed Kennedy delivered were primarily focused on Ed’s close friends and family members, of which they too displayed unforeseen qualities. In the act of delivering the messages, he encounters strangers who under the actions undertook by Ed, are affected in their personality and values as a person.
As Ed deciphered each message, his capabilities were being tested to the limits and without consciously knowing, he uncovered a deep sense of compassion and benevolence. These attributes would have been non-existent in him if he did not get the messages in the first place or if he was not exposed to the numerous pressurising situations. The majority of Ed’s messages are acts of altruism. This enabled him to develop his sense of empathy and his willingness to do philanthropic deeds. Although it is observed that most are altruistic, this is especially indicated by the message of Angie Carusso. ...
Markus Zusak’s novel The Book Thief depicts the life of a certain young German girl named Liesel Meminger during World War II. Her story was told through the eyes of Death, who narrates both the blessings and devastation that occurred during that era. Liesel experiences living with her new foster parents and come across a boy named Rudy Steider who will later on become her best friend. As the story unfolds, Liesel gradually discovers the horrifying truth behind the Nazi regime as her foster parents take refuge of a Jewish man. Despite being in the midst of destruction and recently coping from her traumatic background, she undertakes on a journey of self-discovery and
Strong emotions towards another can cause one to act irrationally. In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Rudy, Liesel, and her foster father Hans develop strong emotions towards others that cause them to act rashly. Rudy’s, Liesel’s, and Hans’s actions illustrate the unreasonable actions caused by strong feelings towards another.
An individual’s mental well being can greatly affect their character and the way they perceive things. In the novels The Kite Runner and A Separate Peace, the protagonists are boys who are infested by internal conflicts such as insecurities and emotions. In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, a boy lets his dad negatively affect his character, causing him to treat those around him in a cynical manner. Likewise, a boy from John Knowles’ A Separate Peace bases his character on whom he wishes to be, letting his unhealthy mental state consume him. Hence, explored through both novels, is how a person’s internal conflicts can lead to their downfall, whether as a result of their struggle with identity or their feelings towards others.
The critics who perceived this book's central theme to be teen-age angst miss the deep underlying theme of grief and bereavement. Ambrosio asks the question, "Is silence for a writer tantamount to suicide? Why does the wr...
In Steve Martin’s, “The Death of My Father” Martin takes his reader on a compelling journey through his personal experiences and allows the connection made with the reader to be the gateway in which he provides his information. From the beginning of Martin’s article his story of his father is heartfelt; the reader can immediately feel sympathy for the author. This proves to be a very successful way to insure his readers think deeply about what he has to say. With phrases like this one, “… if I had anything to work out with my parents, I should do it now, because one day that opportunity would be over” (1) Martin expresses one of the valuable lessons that he is portraying to the reader through a meaningful life experience like that of his friend
Words hold great power and when used correctly can influence what people believe and how they act.
Dave Pelzer has shown admirable character for surviving a horrendous childhood and also for becoming a man that strives to please his family and works for the betterment of society. His clear and concise writing style in this novel provides us with a child’s viewpoint, which makes the book more emotional then it possibly could be. With the use of metaphors Dave Pelzer establishes the claim that the human spirit has the capability to fight back regardless of the condition that it is in. This story should be a source of inspiration and motivation for those who believe that all hope is lost.
Life is a series of questions that people strive to answer through desperate endeavors to put some value and meaning behind their existence and purpose. However, it has been a mystery as to how to achieve those answers. A popular misleading belief is that the answers to life’s questions begin from answering the biggest question of them all “Who am I?” To discover the answer to this and all other questions, people use the assistance of others around them. Interacting and forming relationships with others allows one to not only to get to know those people, but also discover him/herself in that process. Writer Robert Thurman would agree with the notion of the crucial necessity of humans to be interconnected with their community and environment, conversely he would disagree with the concept of defining and labeling the self to just be one determined identity, and he defends this argument in his text “Wisdom.” Similarly, in war veteran and author Tim O’Brien’s narration “How to Tell a True War Story” he illustrates the imperative role that the bond he shared with fellow soldiers played during the Vietnam War and in discovering new things about each other’s personality. However, writer Jon Krakauer takes readers on an expedition to follow the journey of Christopher McCandless in the Alaskan wilderness in his narrative selections from Into the Wild, trying to define McCandless’ identity and believes that isolation from society may lead to the discovery of the self. All three authors delve into the importance that the self and interconnectedness, hold in life. Although they discuss similar concepts, not all three authors have the same viewpoints about the notions. Thurman and O’Brien share similar positions about the self and interconnect...
Frequently, people strive for meager gains—material possessions, changes in appearance, or social acceptance—at the cost of both the strengths and the flaws that define them unique individuals. Indeed, they become artificial in their attempt to conform. Similarly, in Messenger, citizens of Village could trade their “deepest self”—their kindness and acceptance of differences, their special gifts and talents—for insignificant luxuries. Unfortunately, their effort to buy happiness nearly leads to the ruin of Village and the endangerment of outcasts from outlying
“People know me here” (1). Chang-rae Lee opens his novel A Gesture Life with these three simple words. At first, a reader may not even realize the significance of such a simple statement. Yet, it is these three words that set the tone for Lee’s character, Franklin “Doc” Hata, and bring his perspective to life for the first time. Hata is a character that undergoes many traumas throughout the course of this novel, and his life. In turn, he has a certain perspective through which Lee allows him to recount these stories. Doc Hata begins the novel as a man with an ultimately selfish, naïve and male-oriented perspective. Yet what Lee aims to do throughout his novel is show the change a person’s perspective can undergo. Through Doc Hata, Lee examines
A major theme in Markus Zusak’s novel I am The Messenger is personal growth. At the beginning of the novel, Ed Kennedy does not seem like your everyday character in a novel. He does not seem like the person to amount to anything. Ed is a nineteen-year-old cab driver (underage) who loves playing cards with his three best friends, Marv, Ritchie, and Audrey, whom he has been hopelessly in love with for a long time, with little success. Because of the place, Ed is currently in, he feels that his life does not mean anything.
...the narrator and all people a way of finding meaning in their pains and joys. The two brothers again can live in brotherhood and harmony.
“The story employs a dramatic point of view that emphasizes the fragility of human relationships. It shows understanding and agreemen...
By developing a relationship between two people who come from completely distinct worlds, Chaim Potok was able to instigate and investigate a profound and deeply moving story of true friendship and the importance of father-son interconnection through self-realization in the work of The Chosen by explicitly introducing a series of challenges that question the morality and judgment of each protagonist. Through his masterpiece and by inserting complex situations, Chaim Potok took to his benefit to display the comparison between his characters and normal people their similarities and differences.
In I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak, the main character Ed is a nineteen-year-old cab driver in Australia who has never amounted to anything. One day, while with his three best friends, an event occurs that forever changes his life. While in a bank, they are held up at gunpoint. Ed ends up stopping the criminal and saving the day. Days later, as the bank robber’s trial is ending, he tells Ed that he is “a dead man… [And to] [r]emember it every day when [he] look[s] in the mirror” (Zusak 38). This overlooked statement by the reader comes back in the end of the novel to reveal an important message that “everyone can live beyond what they’re capable of” (535). Before attending the trial though, Ed begins to receive playing cards with addresses, names, times, and movie titles on them that require him to complete tasks, which challenge him in more ways than he could ever imagine. In the short story “Good People” by David Foster Wallace, the two characters, Lane and Sheri, are faced with a situation that changes their lives as well; Sheri is pregnant with Lane’s baby. Even though Lane’s and Sheri’s situation is a little different than that of Ed’s, they relate greatly as all the characters are forced to make decisions that can alter the rest of their lives. In the novel, morality is used to accomplish self-discovery and growth of Ed’s personality by pushing his boundaries, and in the short story “Good People” by David Foster Wallace, morality is used to accomplish growth and the realization of consequences of one’s actions by placing the young couple in a faith questioning situation no adolescent wants to face.