In the book I AM THE MESSENGER by Markus Zusak, the main character Ed Kennedy is brought into some tricky business where he becomes "the messenger". In this position, he has to travel around town to help and defend citizens from people in their lives who are trying to deliberately hurt them in a way to make the citizen's life hell. As the book goes on, Ed has internal and external conflicts that put him in situations where he has to think before he does.
When Ed gets his first mission, a playing card with three addresses on it, he instantly goes to each address. When he sees a woman being raped by her drunk boyfriend, he feels the need to take action, especially when a young girl runs out onto the porch and starts crying. "I almost walk over, but instinct stops me. You know what to do." "It's him I have to take care of. It's him I have to face." (Both, pg. 42). He deep down inside wants to help the the girl, but he knows the dangers and he knows that he needs to take it slow and do the right thing.
After that incident, he goes to see a woman who had lost her husband n a war, and Ed is her only hope, the fuel to keep her happy and not feel alone. She treats him like an honorary guest, she seems to really care about him and his well being. She somewhat adopts his to be her son. He cant figure out whether to leave her because she seems crazy or to help her get along with her problems. This is an internal conflict.
When Ed comes across the name Sylvia Plath, he instantly starts doing research and he figures out that she is a famous poet of the poem "Barren Woman". He decides that its time to tell his crush/ best friend hi secret messenger job. He thinks through it a lot and decides that she is trustworthy. "She was there always, but in her current state? I couldn't, she was too vulnerable." (pg. 213). He is torn but he trusts his instinct even though he knows it may not be the best choice.
As you can see, he has internal and external conflicts where he decides to trust his gut to solve them and not let them mess him up. He only wants to make his own decisions. Hs internal and external conflicts define him as a person and they show the reader his true personality and how he thinks on a regular basis.
