Messager Final Project
By Mia Nixon
Matty
Matty is the main character in the book Messenger by Lois Lowry. He was once a one syllable little boy named Matt. Matty has changed a lot and as grown more mature. He has brown hair, brown eyes, and is around twelve or thirteen years old. Some of his hobbies include, eating, sleeping, adventuring, jean, and sending messages. Matty hopes to get his true name soon from leader that everyone eventually gets when earning a job. Matty hopes that he will be named Messenger. Since Matty knows the Village will be closing in about three weeks, he knows he has to go on a mission. That mission is the get Kira since she promised she would go to the Village "when the time was right". Matty hadn't seen Kira in awhile so it would be good to finally see her and catch up.
Seer
Seer is also one of the main characters in this book. His part is to be a fatherly figure for Matty and also take on an important role in the Village. He has an actual daughter named Kira from the last book, Gathering Blue. He hasen't seen(well not literally) her in awhile because she lives another Village and they also can't really communicate because it is a long distance. He is gotten the name Seer as a metaphor, because he is actually blind. Seer does a lot for Matty and has helped him mature throughout the years. He cooks for him and tells him what to do and not to do. Seer is older and wiser but is still a lovable person. About 12 years before this, Seer was stabbed in the eyes and harmed by Jamison. Although he did not know what was happening he was taken in, helped and nursed back to his normal self(while still blind) by the village.
Leader
Once from another town, Leader which was formally named Jonas went through a lot from then till he got to and started the village. When Leader was a little boy he lived in a "perfect" town and lived on many rules. What he didn't know was that his former chief elders were hiding a big secret from him. That secret was that there was a past with emotions and fun and events that know one ever knew about because they were cooped up and hidden from all of it. Leader is an adult with brown hair and brown eyes. Matty has a connection with him that know one else has. When Leader got to the village all of those years ago, he brought a friend with him named Gabe who is now almost a teenager. To be honest I believe that Leader should be more involved with the city. Whenever he is mentioned in the book he usually is in his office and sleeping or something like that. I think this is because he is busy doing work all day so I kind of understand.
Dont Give Up
One theme I found in the Messenger was, don't give up. Matty and Kira had a really rough journey on their way back to the Village. Even though Matty never made it they still stayed strong. Both Kira and Matty never gave up and kept it together during it all. The forest was "attacking" them and they couldn't escape it. They went through a lot of dangerous obstacles. These included, acidic sap dripping from the trees above, poisonous lizards, and quicksand with the suction of a vacuum cleaner. The acidic sap was hurting Matty the most. And sharp and thick grass/branches were slashing Kira the most. Even though they used a medicine they were still hurt even if they didn"t show it. In conclusion, the two of them overcame everything and never gave up.
Friendship is Important
Another theme shown throughout this book is, friendship is important. This is shown when Matty travels to Kira's house for the first time in two years. The good thing is that they still have an awesome connection and can talk to each other. This is what I believe is good to always have with a friend. When Matty gets there they say hi and Kira welcomes him. After that they catch up on life and tell each other. The thing is that even though they haven't seen each other is so long they communicate and catch up like real friends. I've know some of my best friends since kinder garden or 1st grade and its awesome. If you never have friends or communicate, you'll eventually become lonely and want someone to talk to. In conclusion, friendship is one of the best benefits of life and is found in this story.
Mentor
Beside Seer Mentor is a big part of Matty's life. Mentor was there to help Matty mature and learn new things. This is all because when Matty came at such a young age he didn't know much and didn't speak english correctly. Mentor has taught Matty a lot since then which has made a difference. From all of this Matty and Mentor have developed a connection and it has made them good buddies. I'm not exactly sure what age Mentor is but I'm pretty sure hes in his 40's or early 50's. He gets cranky sometimes and I think gets his way. He's very picky and wants certain things done. For example, he didn't want the puppy at his house because it was a disturbance and was making a mess and got really frustrated as a result. Mentor has a daughter named Jean that is a good friend of Mattys and is favored by lots.
Ramon
Ramon is one of Matty's friends from school, that he "plays" with every so often. Ramon isn't really a significant character in this book but is important to Matty. He is one of Matty's best friends so they are both very loyal and kind to each other. Of course they rough house and fight sometimes but that's what happens with friends they were just messing around. Ramon is what I would call the normal boy next door. Hes the same age as Matty and is I think a little bit more immature. Some of his hobbies include, adventuring, getting dirty, and playing with Matty. Truly Ramon is a nice friend and means well. Later in the story when Matty goes to stop by his house before he leaves, Matty finds out that Ramon is really sicks and shouldnt be bothered. We never find out what happens to him and I hope it was a good ending.
Favorite Part
My favorite was when Matty was first leaving for the forest. I loved the part right before when Matty finally got his kiss from Jean. Matty had been waiting awhile and finally got it. I thought it was really cute and was a nice touch to that scene. I also liked when he was heading into the forest with Frolic and their relationship. Frolic is so cute and makes everything special. Matty and Frolic have a good connection and love each other. I believe Frolic is a good companion. I'm glad that Matty got Frolic and moved on from Branch. Hence, those were my favorite scenes from my favorite part of the book.
Setting
Even though there was a fair amount of settings there were two main settings being displayed throughout the book. These two settings were the Village and the forest. The first half of the book when everyone was voting and finding out about the closing took place in the village. Small settings in the book included, Jean/Mentors house, and Matty/Seers own house. The second half of the book mostly took place in the forest. This was mostly when Matty was in the forest on the way to Kira's and when they were heading on their dangerous journey back to the village. During that time one small setting introduced was Kira's village. Since Kira is still at her old town she lives by herself. This is because she is older/more mature and changed everything. In conclusion, There weren't many main settings.
Conflict
There was one main/big conflict that happened throughout the book. The first conflict was that everyone was changing and were miserable and Matty didn't know how to stop it. There was a lot of stuff going on throughout the village and Matty knew there is a lot of stuff going on throughout the whole village. He could definitely see a difference in everyone. The person he could see the most change in was Mentor. He knew one reason was probably the Village closing. Some people were with it and some people were against and it was starting arguments and riots. This later making everyone the way they are now. There finally was a solution in the future. In conclusion, there was one main conflict.
Solution
The solution of this conflict was a decision directly made by Matty himself. The solution was to heal the forest, village, and everyone with his power even though he was very weak. He didn't care he just did. This was not a hard decision for Matty. Matty is a selfless person. He puts everyone else first and makes people happy. Even though sometimes he can hog things sometimes because its his favorite, for example, food, he puts others first. For example, I know would do anything for Kira even if it was a life or death situation. Mattys power was the key part of finding the solution and he had just found out then. So, the solution of the conflict was found and it was done by Matty.
Flashbacks/Foreshadowing
There were a lot of flashbacks throughout the book. One of example of this was when Matty told Seer about the Trade Mart. He told him about the words that Trademaster had kept repeating to each customer and the process of Trade Mart day. He also told Seer about him meeting Mentor and talking to him about a couple things. Another example was when Matty was at Kira's cottage and he was telling her about the frog event. Also, that that's how he found out about his healing gift. He even offered to heal her leg but the result was her denying. On the other hand, there wasn't much foreshadowing other then Kira's gift. Her gift is that her hands have the power to knit a scene from the future. So, she was able to see Matty arriving before he actually did from a knitted scene. In conclusion, throughout he book there was more flashbacks then foreshadowing.
Symbolism
There was a fair amount symbolism in this story. I found most of the symbolism in the gifts. For example, Mattys gift of healing things. His gift symbolizes hope. This is because his gift gives hope to people that are hurt or sick and need help. Another example is Seers gift of knowing where he is and whats going on without actually being able to see. I feel that his gift represents beauty. This is because he can actually live will being blind and fins his way and there is a beauty to that. Lastly, Kiras gift of knitting the future symbolizes the future. This is because her gift really is the future and because I believe future generations will have gifts like theirs.
Tone
I feel that the tone/what the author whats you to feel is depressed and sorry for the readers. This is because the attitudes and the outcomes of different events in this book are sad and hopeless. For example, the death of Matty. I sure didn't know he would die. I thought he would make it through the forest in time with Kira and live a good life. But, there had to be a devastating ending for Matty, that kind of mad you depressed in a way. When the author wrote that you could see bone, I felt that it was kind of a hopeless situation and that it would take awhile to heal. But after then I remembered Matty had his gift. Then, remembered Matty saying he wouldn't use it on himself in Kira. This all lead to the death of Matty at the end.
Mood
The mood portrayed throughout this book was, curiosity. Know one really knew what was going to happen next. It was all a mystery and most things weren't expected. For example, I didn't expect Mentor to trade himself. I thought maybe he had sold something like his bed or something, nothing that big and deep. Another example, I didn't think Matty and Kira would get so dangerously hurt. I thought they would have no problem getting back and Matty would find a solution to the conflict at the Village. But I was really surprised when Matty died at the end because he was a big part of this book and the last. Lastly, I was sad and surprised to hear that Branch died because I didn't think he was that sick an old. In conclusion, the mood of "Messenger" was curiosity and a little bit of sadness.
The Frog (event #1)
Matty was on a walk in the woods "barefooted" and suddenly stepped on frog. Instantly he took his foot away and picked him up and realized that its leg was pretty much completely torn off. He picked to put him in a little hole for a burial. Then this sudden flow of electricity just flew through his arm to the frog and he didn't know what was going on. He saw the frog twitch and found out he wasen't dead after that. Next, he realized that the frogs leg was already partially healed. He later found out that that bolt of whatever that was, was him healing the frog. The importance of this event is that this was when Matty found out he had the gift of healing. This event leads to other events in the story that would have never happened without this event. For example, since Matty knew he had the gift, he healed the puppys and mother at Jeans house.
The Kiss (event #2)
Jean and Matty are really good friends. They talk a lot and have a strong connection. A lot of the guys like Jean even though I don't think shes interested. One day awhile back, Jean promised she would kiss Matty sometime. Matty always admired and liked Jean. Since Matty he was on his way to Ramon's when Jean stopped him and told him that Ramon was sick so he couldn't visit him. They talked for a little while and also noticed that the tapestry was over powered by forest and didn't look well. Matty knew it was time to go and Jean told to "Be safe". Suddenly, Matty got his kiss from Jean that he had been waiting for for awhile. Even though it startles him it gave him a boost of confidence that would help him through he journey to get Kira. That is what is important about this scene that because of this, in the future you know Matty has that extra strength of courage and confidence all because of Jean.
The Puppy (event #3)
Matty got the message from Jean that the dog was ready and to come right away. Her dad wasn't really a big fan of dogs and didn't like the dog's mischief. He got to Jeans home place and they greeted each other. They then had a deep conversation about the changes in Mentor and that hes acting different. After they talk about everything they finally realize its just because he's lonely. After, Jean opened the shed, where the puppy lie for Matty. The puppy leaped into Matty's arms right away and started licking his face. Matty then said something to Jean and was off. Later in the story, the puppy was named Frolic, with the help of Leader. The importance of this event was that this was when Matty got Frolic and if Matty never got Frolic the future probably would have been different. Also, Matty learned some thing about Mentor that could help in the future.
The Trade Mart (event #4)
It was the afternoon and Matty was on his way to the Trade Mart. As he walked, he greeted people but he noticed something. They were all acting with "seriousness" and had a "sense of worry" to them. It was strange and odd but Matty just kept walking. He finally standing next to Mentor hoping Jean might be there but, she never came. They greeted each other and talked for a little. Matty noticed somethings things, but just kept talking. Soon after the Trade Mart started and everything begun. Mentor was chosen first and it went from there. However, Mentor traded something deep and was successful. During the whole thing, Trademaster kept saying, "Trade for what?" even though the answer was different for every one. Later that night, Matty told Seer all about it. The most important thing about this is this was Matty's first event and he learned some emotions that people are feeling about the biggest conflict not the Village, the closing coming soon.
The Old Friend (event #5)
Matty travels to Kira's house for the first time in two years, to get her to bring back to the Village. Both KIra and Matty haven't seen each other in awhile. When Matty gets there they say hi and Kira welcomes him. After, they talked about some things. For example, the healing Matty could do for Kira. He wanted Kira to do it because he wanted her to feel like a normal human and feel better. They also talked about Kiras gift. Kira has a special gift that involves stitching different scenes that tell the future. In conclusion, Matty and Kira have a special connection at this point and enjoy each others company. This event is important because this is the first time Matty has seen Kira for awhile and its nice to catch up. Also, if this never took place and Matty never went then the way the rest of the book probably wouldn't of even happened. Lastly, Matty found out about how Kira's gift works, which he didn't know was so significant.
The Death (event #6)
Matty and Kira's journey back to the village was very long and dangerous. Throughout their whole journey, they were basically getting attacked by the forest. The result of that was changing going on between both of them. For example, as it kept going on they were weakening and becoming tired. They eventually were so hurt, that they got lost and pretty much gave up. Leader sensed the two of them and went to find them. He to got hurt on his way to find them. Leader and Kira could sense where each other were and eventually found each other. At this point Matty was lying on the ground at his weakest point yet. He never used his gift and always remembered what Leader said. Finally Leader new to instruct Matty to finally use his gift. Matty used all of his might left and latched his hand on to the ground and healed everything. In result of this, Matty had died. Matty knew it was his destiny and wanted everything to be better. Leader then named Matty the Healer and he will forever be remembered as that.
Character I can relate to the most
I believe that out of all the characters I can relate to Matty the most. I can relate to him in the personality way. On the other hand, I can relate to Kira in the physical way because we are both girls. Matty is the most relatable to be because we like a lot of the same things and have a lot of the same hobbies. For example, we both like food. He could eat all day like I could and we both enjoy it. Another thing we have in common is the outdoors. I love to explore and go places even though I admit that I do spend the majority of my time indoors. Lastly, Matty and I would both do anything for our family and friends to make them happy and keep them safe. For example, I love getting people gifts around holidays and birthdays just to see their reactions. On the other hand Matty gave his life for his whole village and family. Even though his example is more significant then mine, we still have that in common. In conclusion, I can relate to Matty the most out of all the characters.
How would the story and over all meaning of story change if the setting changed
The story and the meaning of the story would change drastically. One thing that would change would be that there would be no forest because that is one of the two main settings. That would be a huge problem. That is because the last half of the book wouldn't have existed. Not having part of the book existing alters the book a lot and might even alter future books. None of the attacking would have happened and Matty would have never died. Next, if there was no village the book would also be altered. That is the whole subject of the first part of the book and it closing. Also, Matty might never had met Jean or Mentor or anyone in that village as a matter of fact. This is because maybe in gathering blue he would have adventured to a city of riches instead the forest. Therefore, most things would be altered if the setting changed,
Point of view and Perspective
This book was told in Matty's point of view/perspective. Mattys point of view was first person point of view. I knew this because in the book it says "Matty waited but leader said nothing more,". In this quote it states "Matty", which means someone is narrating Matty. The perspective used was third hand. I know this because the narrator wasn't at the event and heard this from someone. and has less detai;. If it was 2nd hand then Matty would have been watching the event not partaking in it. And if this was first hand then Matty(which would have to be the narrator) would have been experiencing the events. In conclusion, the story was told by Mattys point of view/perspective.
How would story change if told from different point of view/perspective
If this story was told in a different point of view/perspective a lot would be different. One thing that would be different would be the perspective. If someone else told the story the person would have seen every event differently. And with that being said, there probably wouldn't be a lot of the same events as what Matty saw. For example, if Seer was telling the story he whole event of the forest and the attacking wouldn't be in the book because Seer never witnessed that. If the point of view changed not much would be different except kind of the perspective. For example, if the point of view was told in first person point of view about Matty, then the way events went down would be different. This is because the person telling the story wouldn't have gotten all the insight and wouldn't know all the details. Lastly the thoughts and feelings would have changed. For example, if the event of Mattys death was told from Kiras point of view, the feelings would have been depressed and sad. In conclusion the book would probably be altered greatly if the point of view/perspective changed.
Ramon getting sick (told from Ramon's POV/Perspective)
-/--/--
I had been coughing for awhile but I had just ignored it. I usually went adventuring and getting into things so I understood why I was and didn't think anything of it. It kept getting worse, and I just kept ignoring it, not thinking anything of it. Before you know it, I'm feeling miserable, my head starts to ache and its not good. When I hang out with my friends and i'm with my famiIy I try to hide it because I don't want my mother to yell at me because of it. I decide to tell my mother and surprisingly shes not mad. We call the herbalist to come over and check me out. His verdict is that not just me but my sister too, are very sick. The herbalist had to put a sign on the door so everyone would know not to come in. Now after awhile of being sick and feeling miserable, I suddenly felt better. I didn't know what it was but I was happy it was all over.. I just heard the news about Matty and i'm really devastated and upset. He was such a loyal friend and he will be missed.
Trade Mart (told from Mentors POV/Perspective)
--/--/--
It was the afternoon and also Trade Mart day. The day where I do something big. I've been feeling really lonely and not my self lately. I hope I don't regret any of this in the future. I decided i would sell everything for a lady. That widow across the way is my everything. I think I need someone to spend my life with, and to help Jean. I don't tell anyone and go on my way. I get there and see Matty and we talk for awhile. I think he can sense some change in me but I don't question him. I kind of move away from him and wait to the big event for me begins.
Cultural values
The Village that Matty lives in is very unique and is a little different. His village has some particular values that usually aren't values in other cultures. Some of these values include, jobs, true names, and trade market day. Jobs are usually a common value throughout cultures. The jobs that are given to people in the Village come with a true name. A true name is another cultural value found in the Village that represents the job that you are given and your personality. For example, messenger, which Matty wants because of the job/thing he does, healer which Matty gets because of his gift, and mentor because he is a school teacher and helps kids. Lastly, trade mart day. This is when people come and ask the Trademaster to trade certain things for another thing. It doesn't happen often though. There are still other values with this cultural and are a mix of common ones and different ones. In conclusion, this culture has many values.