“Often what happens is less important than how it is said…”

How important was Marcus Zusak’s writing style and the techniques he employed for your
appreciation of The Messenger?

Marcus Zusak’s, The Messenger, is an innovative and inspirational piece of metafiction that employs
various literary techniques and contrasting stylistic and language features to manipulate the plot and
effect on readers. Subsequently, the implementation of first-person narration, colloquialism,
symbolism, repetition and the structure are crucial in portraying ideas of developing a moral code,
Circumstance versus Choice and Normality and Heroism. Moreover, the readers recognise any
‘insignificant’ individual is capable of anything, broadening their views on life and positioning them
to establish a genuine connection to Ed. As a result, the literary techniques and writing style employed
depict the importance of how the story is told in juxtaposition to what happens.

Zusak employs a first-person perspective and colloquialism constructing Ed Kennedy’s voice to

depict the idea of developing a moral code. The construction of Ed’s voice is built in a way to portray
his character as flawed and brutally honest providing a sense of honesty to gain the reader’s trust. He
refers to his childhood home as “a plethora of shithead fathers” and describes himself to be
“Nothing.” utilising colloquialism and self-depreciating humour. Throughout the bildungsroman
novel, Ed’s unfiltered thoughts are discussed through a first-person perspective. By observing the
progression of his thoughts, readers recognize the manner in which Ed responds to morally
challenging situations. Ed is forced to juxtapose what is perceived to be morally right and wrong
portraying the complexity of morality and his struggle to develop a moral code. For example, during
the ace of diamonds at 13 Harrison Avenue, Ed impersonates Milla’s dead husband lying to her which
whilst was morally wrong, it brought her happiness. Whilst comforting Milla, his thoughts reveal “I
melt” conveying his emotional attachment to her. In addition, use of first-person
facilitates the reader's connection with Ed, allowing them to view the events from his perspective.
This illustrates the importance of how his story was told in contrast to what transpired.

The Messenger features symbolism and implements structure to portray the idea of circumstance
versus choice manipulating the reader’s appreciation for the novel. Zusak employs playing cards to
structure the narrative, with each chapter represented by a different card and each section signified by
a suit. Similarly, the structure of the novel is utilised to build tension as readers attempt to predict the
next card and it’s ambiguities. Moreover, the cards symbolise the idea of circumstance versus choice
as fate dictates the hand of cards one receives; however one decides how to play them. During the
beginning of the novel, Ed describes his childhood home to be “an absolute dump” revealing the
circumstances that brought him into his current position. As a result, Ed has a fragmented sense of his
childhood as he believes this defines him. Ed’s perspective is conveyed to be despondent as he feels
out of control of his own life. After receiving the playing cards, his perspective changes as he
concludes he cannot alter the circumstances of his life but can decide what he does with them,
illustrating the idea of circumstance versus choice. The motif of these playing cards symbolise the
control fate has over Ed’s life, but depicts Ed’s ability to decide what he does with the circumstances
he is dealt in life. Additionally, this emphasises the importance of Ed’s character development
compared to the plot positioning the readers to realise the same is possible for them.

The theme of Normality and Heroism is illustrated throughout the metafictional novel utilising
sentence structure and repetition to increase the impact on the readers. Consequently, Zusak employs
sentence structure to portray Ed’s perception of himself where he lists achievements made at the age
of 19 by historical figures and continues to describe himself last “Then, there’s Ed Kennedy, also
nineteen…”. This conveys Ed’s ordinariness and feeling of inferiority to those who are viewed as
heroes in society. Throughout the novel, repetition is employed as the use of the word ‘I’ is prominent
“I cook. I eat.”. The way in which ‘I’ communicates with other individuals in their life is rarely
discussed emphasising the simplicity of Ed’s life. Moreover, Ed’s self-doubt is evident as even after
stopping a robbery which is traditionally an act of bravery, he believes the newspaper will describe
him as a “Deadbeat”. When asked by Sophie if he’s a saint, Ed replies, “I’m just another stupid
human”, he doesn’t deem himself worthy to be a ‘hero’ and believes others think the same. Later in
the novel, Priest O’Reilly compares Ed to a saint however Ed accepts his compliment as he begins to
question his inept self-image. At the end of the novel, Zusak describes Ed as “the epitome of
ordinariness” and this provokes the readers to recognize if an ordinary person like Ed can commit acts
of heroism, anybody can. Ultimately, Ed learns success is less meaningful than purpose and his acts of
heroism give his life meaning, not his empty achievements. This insight allows the readers to reflect
on their own lives, enhancing the importance of how the novel is written and its underlying meaning.

Initially during The Messenger, Ed’s character is depicted as insignificant employing colloquialism
and a first-person perspective to illustrate his thought processes when faced with morally challenging
situations. Throughout the bildungsroman novel, Ed's efforts to take charge of his life demonstrate
even when one cannot control its circumstances, one can choose how they respond to them.
Furthermore, the novel emphasises the importance of the manner in which the story is told,
positioning the readers to form an emotional connection with Ed. The use of literary techniques
throughout the novel facilitates the growth of a strong emotional connection between Ed and the
readers. Thus, a greater appreciation of the novel is gained as a result of the message having a greater
impact.