essay about the book monster

Home — Essay Samples — Entertainment — Monster — Monster By Dean Myers Summary

Monster by Dean Myers Summary

• Categories: Monster

About this sample

Words: 1122 |

Published: Mar 25, 2024

Words: 1122 | Pages: 2 | 6 min read

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Verified writer

• Expert in: Entertainment

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

7.5 pages / 3441 words

5.5 pages / 2615 words

10.5 pages / 4766 words

5 pages / 2217 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Monster

Intergenerational trauma refers to the transmission of trauma from one generation to the next. It is the idea that the effects of traumatic experiences can be passed down through the family lineage, impacting the mental health [...]

Monsters have long been a source of fascination and fear in human culture. From ancient myths and legends to modern-day horror movies, monsters have captured the imagination of people around the world. But what exactly are [...]

Monsters have been a prominent and enduring aspect of human culture for centuries, appearing in various forms in literature, art, film, and popular culture. The portrayal and analysis of monsters in these cultural artifacts [...]

“The concept of the monstrous and the figure of the monster have haunted western history from its earliest records” writes Margrit Shldrick in her book Embodying the Monster: Encounters with the Vulnerable Self. Monsters [...]

Wholly defining the sublime seems to lead to a near endless compilation of puzzle pieces, all of which fill in only a small portion of the final picture. Edmund Burke attempts to assemble an authoritative definition of the [...]

The American Dream varies for individuals, but for most it includes providing a stable home for their children and ensuring future generations will have more opportunities to become successful. In the play, A Raisin in the Sun [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

Monster Book Review

A Multiple Award-Winning Book by Walter Dean Myers

• Children's Book Reviews
• Authors & Illustrators
• Young Adult Books
• Best Sellers
• Classic Literature
• Plays & Drama
• Shakespeare
• Short Stories
• B.A., English Education and Reading, University of Utah

In 1999, in his young adult book Monster , Walter Dean Myers introduced readers to a young man named Steve Harmon. Steve, sixteen and in prison awaiting a murder trial, is an African American teen and a product of inner city poverty and circumstance. In this story, Steve retells the events leading up to the crime and narrates the prison and courtroom drama while trying to determine if what the prosecutor said about him is true. Is he really a monster? Learn more about this award-winning book that gives a disturbing inside account about a teen struggling to prove to himself that he’s not what everyone thinks him to be.

Summary of Monster

Steve Harmon, a 16-year-old African-American teen from Harlem, is awaiting trial for his role as an accomplice in a drugstore robbery that ended in murder. Before being imprisoned, Steve enjoyed amateur filmmaking and while in confinement decides to write his experience in prison as a movie script. In a movie script format, Steve gives readers an account of the events leading up to the crime. As narrator, director and star of his story, Steve navigates readers through the events of the courtroom and discussions with his attorney. He directs camera angles at various characters in the story from the judge, to witnesses, and to the other teens involved in the crime. Readers are given a front seat to the personal dialogue Steve has with himself through diary entries he tucks in among the script. Steve writes this note to himself, “I want to know who I am. I want to know the road to panic that I took. I want to look at myself a thousand times to look for one true image.” Is Steve innocent of his part in the crime? Readers must wait until the end of the story to find out Steve’s courtroom and personal verdict.

About the Author, Walter Dean Myers

Walter Dean Myers writes gritty urban fiction that depicts life for African American teens growing up in inner city neighborhoods. His characters know poverty, war, neglect, and the street life. Using his writing talents, Myers has become the voice for many African American teens and he creates characters to whom they can connect or relate. Myers, also raised in Harlem, recalls his own teen years and the difficulty of rising above the pull of the streets. As a young boy, Myers struggled in school, got into several fights, and found himself in trouble on many occasions. He credits reading and writing as his lifelines. 

For more recommended fiction by Myers, read reviews of Shooter and Fallen Angels .

Awards and Book Challenges

Monster has won several notable awards including the 2000 Michael L. Printz Award, the 2000 Coretta Scott King Honor Book Award and was a 1999 National Book Award Finalist. Monster is also listed on several book lists as a best book for young adults and a best book for reluctant readers .

Along with the prestigious awards, Monster has also been the target of several book challenges in school districts across the country. While not listed on the American Library Association's frequently challenged book list,   the American Booksellers For Freedom of Expression (ABFFE) has followed Monster 's book challenges. One book challenge came from parents in the Blue Valley School District in Kansas who want to challenge the book for the following reasons: "vulgar language, sexual explicitness, and violent imagery that is gratuitously employed."

Despite the various book challenges to Monster , Myers continues to write stories that depict the realities of growing up impoverished and in dangerous neighborhoods. He continues to write the stories that many teens want to read.

Recommendation and Review

Written in a unique format with a compelling storyline, Monster is guaranteed to engage teen readers. Whether or not Steve is innocent is the big hook in this story. Readers are invested in learning about the crime, the evidence, the testimony, and the other teens involved in order to find out if Steve is innocent or guilty.

Because the story is written as a movie script, readers will find the actual reading of the story fast and easy to follow. The story gains momentum as little details are revealed about the nature of the crime and Steve’s connection to the other characters involved. Readers will grapple with determining whether Steve is a sympathetic or trustworthy character. The reality that this story could be ripped from the headlines makes it a book that most teens, including struggling readers, will enjoy reading.

Walter Dean Myers is a renowned author and all his teen books should be recommended reading. He understands the urban life that some African American teens experience and through his writing he gives them a voice as well as an audience who can better understand their world. Myers's books take on serious issues facing teens such as poverty, drugs, depression, and war and make these topics accessible. His candid approach hasn’t gone unchallenged, but his forty years of longstanding work has not gone unnoticed by his teen readers nor by award committees.  Monster is recommended by publishers for ages 14 and up. (Thorndike Press, 2005. ISBN: 9780786273638).

Walter Dean Myers Website  , ABFFE

• Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers Review
• Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
• An Interview With Ellen Hopkins
• Summer Reading Lists For Kids, Tweens, and Teens
• Laurie Halse Anderson, Young Adult Author
• Hispanic and Latino Heritage Books for Kids and Teens
• Unwind Teen Book Review
• 10 Contemporary Biographies, Autobiographies, and Memoirs for Teens
• Julia Donaldson's 'The Gruffalo' Picture Book Review
• An In-Depth Look at 'the Lightning Thief' by Rick Riordan
• The Notorious Benedict Arnold by Steve Sheinkin
• Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Book Review
• Favorite Children's Stories From Asia
• About Lois Lowry's Controversial Book, The Giver
• Modern Fairy Tales for Teen Girls
• 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Themes, Symbols, and Literary Devices

By Walter Dean Myers

‘Monster’ tells the story of a fourteen-year-old boy who gets implicated in a felony murder, and has to fight to prove his innocence.

Article written by Chioma Julie

Degree in M.C.M. Awarded Best Graduating Student in Literature-in-English at UNISEC.

The story, for the first page and maybe a quarter of it, begins in prose form and transitions to drama almost abruptly. This style is maintained throughout. ‘ Monster ’ is very thought-provoking and packed with lessons.

‘Spoiler-Free’ Monster Summary

Steve Harmon, a fourteen-year-old black boy, finds himself roped into a felony murder case. He gets to introduce himself to us when his life had already started to plummet. This chap finds himself in prison alongside people, most of whom are hardened criminals, because he is accused of being an accomplice in the murder of Mr. Nesbitt, a middle-aged drugstore owner.

The incident occurs in Harlem, New York City. Steve Harmon is on trial alongside James King who, in the bid to distance himself from gangsters as much as he can, he now says is just an acquaintance. In the middle of something as serious as felony murder, Steve just couldn’t recognize himself anymore. He marveled at how much he had changed in such little time. Whenever he looks in the mirror, he is in disbelief. To block off the unpleasantness as much as he could, he starts seeing the whole situation as a film, a sad one. Sometimes he would tell himself that it can’t be him in court and on trial for participating in a robbery that led to someone’s death. But it is him, there, accused and being defended by O’Brien, his lawyer.

‘ Monster ’ Summary

Warning – This article contains important details and spoilers

Steve Harmon is on trial for participating in a robbery that led to the death of Mr. Nesbitt, a drugstore owner. His little brother, Jerry, and his parents are all very affected by his situation. Steve’s imaginary camera helps him cope a little. Mr. Sawicki’s class became of good use anyway. Something to take out of the whole thing, a consolation sort of. But later, there would be another consolation, something bigger.

For now, Steve’s camera follows him from the prison yard to the views outside of it, to the courtroom, and to the moments that have now become memories, flashbacks to the times when everything seemed right with the world; when the highest crime would be when as children, Tony, his childhood friend said he’d get an uzi and blow a certain tough-looking guy’s brains out; when all Steve had to worry about was making some sort of short film about his neighborhood for Sawicki’s class; totally different from a robbery was being planned before him. We, in turn, follow Steve’s camera.

O’Brien, Steve’s lawyer, is full of doubt. With each testimony, it seems they get closer to losing the case. Bobo’s testimony seemed to worsen it all. But all hope is not lost for them anyway. She sees Steve has lost hope and tells him to believe in himself or no one would. Steve demonstrates his loss of hope several times. At some point, he even begins to doubt himself. He sees it in Petrocelli’s eyes, the look given to guilty people. Petrocelli, the lawyer representing the state, is ruthless. Once to his hearing, she gives him that look and says ‘monster’. He sees a bit of it in his father’s eyes too. Little, but there anyway, and big enough to matter. Petrocelli would go to any length to prove he is a monster. To any length, because she does not leave out even criminals as witnesses in the bid to push her case- Bobo, Osvaldo, Cruz, name them.

Testimonies or accounts from these people indict Steve even more. One time, he misses his little brother, Jerry, so much so that he wishes he was there with him. No, not in prison, but just there with him somehow. Jerry got to visit him only once. But as children are not allowed inside correctional facilities, Steve saw him from afar. He found it funny because if he were not in prison and was just visiting, he would not be allowed in as well.

The jurors hear from all the witnesses (not less than ten of them) including the woman who recounts visiting the store to get some cough medications for her sick grandchild. The woman mentions seeing James King on December 22, struggling with Mr. Nesbitt. Bobo corroborates that but ropes Steve in as the one who was sent to watch and give a signal when the coast is clear or when it’s not. He says they went ahead to rob Mr. Nesbitt without a signal from Steve because, to them, no signal meant that the coast was clear.

Towards the end of the story (as far as we know, because the story is a continuum) the three lawyers present their cases: O’Brien for Steve Harmon, one of the defendants, Briggs, representing the second defendant (James King), and Petrocelli, the prosecutor representing the state.

On the last day of the trial, Steve listens keenly but continues to hear the same line from the Judge addressing the jurors. Finally, the verdict is read out, and Steve Harmon is free to go, while James King is to be locked up.

Five months later, Steve already got himself a camera. He hopes it would help him answer the question of who he is because even he no longer knows- O’Brien and his father may be right for reacting the way they did.

How is ‘ Monster’ structured?

Walter Dean Myers ‘ Monster ’ is structured in a simple way. It is a drama with scenes divided by dates. Each scene begins with a narration in the form of a note or sometimes, a narration and a separate note from Steve Harmon, the protagonist. The sentence structure adopted is simple. The language used is also simple.

Is ‘ Monster’ a true story?

No, ‘ Monster ’ is not a true story; it is fiction. With this fact stated, it is worth mentioning that ‘ Monster ’ even though fictitious, is a book inspired partly by the author, Walter Dean Myers’ experiences.

What is the most ironic thing in ‘ Monster?’

The most ironic thing in ‘ Monster ’ is Petrocelli, the lawyer representing the state, inviting just about anyone, including hardened criminals to make her point, and expecting that the words of criminals (most of them desperate to get a break from doing the time for their various crimes) to be trusted enough for their words to be admitted as true. But, it works partly anyway as James King was eventually found guilty.

Is ‘ Monster ’ a children’s book?

Not really. Though ‘ Monster ’ features a lot of children as its characters , ‘ Monster ’ isn’t particularly for children. It can be; however, I would categorize ‘ Monster ’ as a book meant mostly for adults.

Join Our Community for Free!

Exclusive to Members

Create Your Personal Profile

Engage in Forums

Join or Create Groups

Save your favorites, beta access.

About Chioma Julie

Chioma is a graduate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. She has a passion for music, movies, and books. Occasionally, she writes to unwind.

About the Book

Discover literature and connect with others just like yourself!

Start the Conversation. Join the Chat.

There was a problem reporting this post.

Block Member?

Please confirm you want to block this member.

You will no longer be able to:

• See blocked member's posts
• Mention this member in posts
• Invite this member to groups

Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete.

“Monster” by Walter Dean Myers: Characters & Style Essay (Book Review)

Alongside with his poems, in 1999, Walter Dean Myers presented an excellent drama novel, Monster , about one 16-year-old black kid, Steve Harmon, who was charged with felony murder. One of the most attractive features of this book is its structure and style of writing. Monster by Walter Dean Myers essay shall provide an analysis of the characters of the book and author’s style.The reader is captivated from the very beginning of the story, as it is similar to the beginning of the famous Star Wars .

Steve Harmon is the writer, director, and main character of Monster. Such a decision to present the story from one person’s point of view, divide characters into good and bad ones, appeal to the facts from one diary only, and use not a standard form of narration is unique indeed.

The style chosen by the author of this story takes several pages to get used to. Monster writing style attracts the attention of the reader due to the contrasting mix of such strategies as controlled development of thoughts and stream of consciousness, which create unique tone and mood in the story. However, such a manner of writing influences Meyers’ development of the theme only in a positive way. Why did Walter Dean Myers write monster in the format of a screenplay? It may be assumed that, by doing so, he wanted to show the feelings of the characters and the development of the conflict at the same time.

Monster is interesting to read because it provides the reader with a chance to create his/her own impression about the main character. The writer does not tell you what to think, but let you make decisions and conclusions independently. During the whole story, it is not mentioned whether the main character is good or bad.

It was pointed out that the character is surrounded by bad people, with bad guns, and bad intentions. Kathy O’Brien is Steve’s defense attorney, and she does believe that Steve is guilty and tries to prepare him for the worst. “Both you and this King character are on trial for felony murder. Felony murder is as severe as it gets. Sandra Petrocelli is the prosecutor, and she’s great. They’re pushing for the death penalty, which is really bad” (Myers 12). Family members also support Steve, though the ending of the book shows complicated relationships between them. Thus, in Monster by Walter Dean Myers, characters provoke ambiguous emotions in the reader.

Steve, as the author of this script, realizes that he is too young to be sentenced to death or spend about 20 years of his life in jail. “They’re pushing for the death penalty, which is really bad” (Myers 12). He also understands that this case will be rather challenging to win because of two simple reasons: (1) even his attorney, O’Brien, finds him guilty, and (2) he is a young black man that makes him being concerned with numerous crimes and larcenies.

He tries to prove that he was just in the wrong place and certainly at the wrong time. (Jones 190) He cannot accept such a reality and decides to do everything possible to evade this likely verdict. He decides to escape if necessary, even if it costs him his life.

O’Brien’s decision to turn away from Steve after the verdict was announced makes all the readers think about why she did it. What made her turn away? Was it the right decision? Maybe, she saw something wrong that even made the screenwriter title this story as Monster .

Young adult literature is one of the most significant steps up, which allows comprehending and analyze various themes from different perspectives (Suen 41), Monster is the story about the importance of making choices in life, possible challenges, and consequences. This book is one of the most brilliant messages to young adults.

It underlines a straightforward truth that only a person, himself/herself, is responsible for all choices he/she makes. The consequences of any decision will undoubtedly affect both the life of the person, who makes a choice, and the lives of other people. This is why it is crucially important to realize such significance and make wise and well-weight decisions.

Works Cited

Jones, D. Painless Reading Comprehension. Barron’s Educational Series, 2004.

Myers, W. D. Monster. HarperTemest, 2001.

Suen, A. Picture Writing. Writer’s Digest Books, 2003.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2023, October 31). "Monster" by Walter Dean Myers: Characters & Style. https://ivypanda.com/essays/monster-by-walter-dean-myers-the-significance-of-personal-choice/

""Monster" by Walter Dean Myers: Characters & Style." IvyPanda , 31 Oct. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/monster-by-walter-dean-myers-the-significance-of-personal-choice/.

IvyPanda . (2023) '"Monster" by Walter Dean Myers: Characters & Style'. 31 October.

IvyPanda . 2023. ""Monster" by Walter Dean Myers: Characters & Style." October 31, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/monster-by-walter-dean-myers-the-significance-of-personal-choice/.

1. IvyPanda . ""Monster" by Walter Dean Myers: Characters & Style." October 31, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/monster-by-walter-dean-myers-the-significance-of-personal-choice/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . ""Monster" by Walter Dean Myers: Characters & Style." October 31, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/monster-by-walter-dean-myers-the-significance-of-personal-choice/.

• The “How to Turn Advocacy into Action” TED Talk by Harmon
• Beth Harmon Character Analysis in the Queens Gambit
• ‘Our Mutual Friend’ as an Example of Popular 19th Century Literature
• “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien
• ‘The Third Policeman’ by O’Brien
• Microbes and Immune System as Current Topic
• The Issues of Racial Discrimination in US
• Dean & Deluca Company’s Marketing Mix
• “Single Minded” by Keith O’Brien
• Bob Myers: A Journey to Saving a Dynasty
• A Conversation with My Father and The Swimmer: Facing Tragedy at the End
• The Role of an Artist: Anne Deavere Smith and Tod Hackett
• The American Way of Death: Process Analysis in Writing
• “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Ending and Main Scenes
• “The Management of Grief” by Bharati Mukherjee

Walter Dean Myers

Ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Monster depicts the murder trial of Steve Harmon , a 16-year-old black kid from Harlem. Steve is accused of being an accomplice to the murder of an immigrant shopkeeper named Mr. Nesbitt , the result of a botched robbery. Even though Steve’s alleged role in the murder is minimal, the prosecutor sees Steve only as a “ monster ,” completely disregarding the rest of his life and identity. In a similar fashion, Steve finds during his weeks in prison that he is still not recognized as a person unto himself, but instead seen as merely an inmate. By depicting the legal system’s dehumanization of Steve and the way that this causes him to also dehumanize himself, Monster suggests that both the court and the prison system do not treat people accused of crimes as full human beings, but rather as moral degenerates who deserve to be deprived of all rights and humanity.

Although Steve is a sensitive and creative individual, the state prosecutor sees him as a monster and a criminal rather than a human being. Though only 16, Steve is a filmmaker at heart. He depicts all of the courtroom scenes and much of his time in prison through a screenplay he is writing, and Steve’s film teacher, Mr. Sawicki , testifies that Steve’s films are optimistic and honest, highlighting the best aspects of his violent neighborhood. Steve’s own artistic interpretation of events and Mr. Sawicki’s character witness establish that Steve is a sensitive and dynamic human being. However, in her opening remarks, state prosecutor Sandra Petrocelli labels anyone tangentially related to the murder, including Steve, as a monster who does not value other people’s right to live. Petrocelli wants Steve and James King (another man charged in relation to the crime) to be convicted of felony murder, and by labeling them all as irredeemable, inhuman monsters, she hopes to immediately sway the jury towards seeking as harsh a punishment as possible. Petrocelli dehumanizes Steve in order to accomplish her goal as a prosecutor, which suggests that prosecutors do not view their defendants as human beings, but simply as targets to take down. Furthermore, Steve’s defense attorney Kathy O’Brien warns him that, since he is a black teenage boy, half of the jury will believe he is guilty as soon as they see him, suggesting that on top of Petrocelli’s dehumanizing remarks, the jurors’ racial prejudice also dehumanizes Steve and other people in his position. Racism makes it more likely that the jury will view black defendants not as complex, individual human beings, but merely as stereotypes.

The prison system in Monster is also depicted as dehumanizing, refusing to acknowledge that inmates are also complex and emotion-driven human beings. Although Steve is only 16, he is placed in a prison for adults. When his younger brother Jerry is not allowed to visit Steve because he is a child and the prison is a dangerous place, Steve realizes that if he himself were a visitor, rather than an inmate, he would not be allowed in the prison, either. This irony suggests that Steve’s status as a prisoner removes any rights or protections he should be entitled as a human being and a legal child. Furthermore, Steve observes that all that inmates talk about is fighting, sex, or appealing their convictions, suggesting that prison dehumanizes people by narrowing the sphere of things they’re able to care about. Even Steve finds it difficult to think about his family or friends, since he is consumed by fear about his court case. Prison, it seems, is such an intensely confining space that it reduces human beings to mere shells of what they might have been, forcing them to think only of survival in their narrow world at the expense of all other interests or relationships that once made them who they are. Finally, the guards add to the prisoners’ dehumanization. As Steve faces the horrifying prospect of spending most of his life in jail, the guards mockingly place bets on whether Steve will get a full life sentence or not and ask him to put money into the pool, as well. The guards’ complete disregard for Steve’s mental wellbeing further suggests that the operators of the prison do not regard their subjects as human beings with hopes, fears, and the right to be respected, but merely as pieces in a machine.

Steve and his father Mr. Harmon both come to internalize this dehumanized vision of Steve, which tragically suggests that when the courts and prisons view a person only as a monster or a criminal, that person will come to believe it. After hearing Petrocelli call him a monster and seeing the jurors’ disdain for him, Steve begins to think of himself as a monster as well, referring to himself as a monster in his personal notes. Tragically, Mr. Harmon struggles not to see his son that way, even though he doesn’t know if Steve is guilty or innocent. When he visits Steve in prison, Steve realizes that their father-son relationship has been broken, noting, “It’s like a man looking down to see his son and seeing a monster instead.” Both Steve and Mr. Harmon’s struggle to not view Steve as a monster suggests that when the courts and the prison system so swiftly dehumanize defendants, the consequences are personal and far-reaching.

Dehumanization and Racism ThemeTracker

Dehumanization and Racism Quotes in Monster

The best time to cry is at night, when the lights are out and someone is being beaten up and screaming for help. That way if you sniffle a little they won’t hear you. If anybody knows that you are crying, they’ll start talking about it and soon it’ll be your turn to get beat up when the lights go out.

Most people in our community are decent, hardworking citizens who pursue their own interests legally and without infringing on the rights of others. But there are also monsters in our communities—people who are willing to steal and to kill, people who disregard the rights of others.

[Steve] is writing the word Monster over and over again. A white hand (O’BRIEN’s) takes the pencil from his hand and crosses out all the Monsters .

Miss O’Brien says that Petrocelli is using Bolden’s testimony as part of a trail that will lead to me and James King. I think she is wrong. I think they are bringing out all of these people and letting them look terrible on the stand and sound terrible and then reminding the the jury that they don’t look any different from me and King.

I want to look like a good person. I want to feel like I’m a good person because I believe I am. But being in here with these guys makes it hard to think about yourself being different. We look about the same, and though I’m younger than they are, it’s hard not to notice that we are all pretty young.

STEVE: I thought you’re supposed to be innocent until proven guilty?

O’BRIEN: That’s true, but in reality it depends on how the jury sees the case. If they see it as a contest between the defense and the prosecution as to who’s lying, they’ll vote for the prosecution. The prosecutor walks around looking very important. No one is accusing her of being a bad person. They’re accusing you of being a monster.

Miss O’Brien looked at me—I didn’t see her looking at me but I knew she was. She wanted to know who I was. Who was Steve Harmon? I wanted to open my shirt and tell her to look into my heart and see who I really was, who the real Steve Harmon was.

Seeing my dad cry like that was just so terrible. What was going on between us, me being his son and him being my dad, is pushed down and something else is moving up in its place. It’s like a man looking down to see his son and seeing a monster instead.

I remembered Miss O’Brien saying that it was her job to make me different in the eyes of the jury, different from Bobo and Osvaldo and King. It was me, I thought as I tried not to throw up, that had wanted to be tough like them.

There was a fight just before lunch and a guy was stabbed in the eye. The guy who was stabbed was screaming, but that didn’t stop the other guy from hitting him more. Violence here is always happening or just about ready to happen. I think these guys like it—they want it to be normal because that’s what they’re used to dealing with.

[O’Brien] said that Bobo’s testimony hurt us a lot and that she had to find a way to separate me from King, but King’s lawyer wanted to make sure the jury connected us because I looked like a pretty decent guy.

I think [Steve’s] an outstanding young man. He is talented, bright, and compassionate. He’s very much involved with depicting his neighborhood and environment in a positive manner.

[O’BRIEN’s] lips tense; she is pensive. She gathers her papers and moves away as STEVE, arms still outstretched, turns toward the camera. His image is in black and white, and the grain is nearly broken. It looks like one of the pictures they use for psychological testing, or some strange beast, a monster.

by Walter Dean Myers

Monster quotes and analysis.

"I know [my mama] loves me, but I wonder what she's thinking." Steve

Steve expresses the uncertainty he feels regarding his family. Although Steve is adamant about defending his own innocence, he continually worries about how his arrest has affected his family's judgment of his morality. Although Mrs. Harmon expresses her unwavering support towards Steve, the protagonist's uncertainty reveals his own unrest. In this quote Steve also reveals his fear of abandonment. This fear is rooted in the intense isolation that Steve experiences while imprisoned.

"The dream took place in the courtroom. I was trying to ask questions and nobody could hear me. I was shouting and shouting but everyone went about their business as if I wasn't there." Steve

While in jail, Steve has many nightmares. This particular dream is a frightening projection of how he feels throughout the course of the court proceedings. Due to the judicial process, Steve is unable to independently and candidly express himself. Rather, he must relinquish control and rely on O'Brien to tell his story. Steve feels trapped in his own thoughts, which further exacerbates his feeling of isolation.

"You use stories and you use people, right?" Kathy O'Brien

O’Brien makes this statement while addressing Zinzi on the stand. On one hand, Zinzi is helping to shed light on the murder case. On the other hand, he has his own motivations for testifying. Thus, this quote emphasizes the survival instinct that is so prevalent among prisoners. In prison, individuals are incessantly threatened. Thus, prisoners will often use their peers as tools for survival. Tipping off a cop or twisting the truths of their own crimes can lead to shortened sentences. In this way, this quote addresses the two-fold motivations for witness testimonies.

"[…] in reality, it depends on how the jury sees the case." O’Brien

Here, O’Brien addresses the harsh reality of the American court system. Although Steve wants to believe that the court will see him as "innocent until proven guilty," O'Brien explains that this statement is nothing more than an idealistic adage. Steve must grapple with the fact that his fate rests in the hands of strangers.

"We lie to ourselves here. Maybe we are here because we lie to ourselves." Steve

This quote addresses the motif of deceit that is present throughout the story. In the story, lying is shown to have both detrimental and advantageous effects. Lying is the root of many problems in the judicial system, and fellow prisoners lie frequently under oath in order to get reduced sentences. However, lying is also a coping mechanism for prisoners to process their realities. For example, Steve lies to himself frequently in order to hold onto a sense of hope.

"His film footage shows me what he's seeing, and, to a large extent, what he's thinking. And what he sees, the humanity of it, speaks of a very deep character." Mr. Sawicki

During the case, Mr. Sawicki testifies to Steve's character. Mr. Sawicki references Steve's films in order to defend his student in the court. This quote expresses the power of art and its connection to human nature. This quote prompts the audience to consider the validity of Mr. Sawicki's testimony. Is it valid to use one's art to justify one's character? To what extent is art an escape rather than a depiction of reality?

"They are all equally guilty. The one who grabbed the cigarettes, the one who wrestled for the gun, the one who checked the place to see if the coast was clear." Sandra Petrocelli

Petrocelli, the prosecutor, argues that all of the people involved in the burglary are equally culpable of the murder that resulted. This assertion prompts the reader to question the validity and the moral implications of this statement. Is the person who surveyed the scene as culpable as the person that shot and killed Mr. Nesbitt?

"I think I finally understand why there are so many fights. In here, all you have going for you is the little surface stuff, how people look at you and what they say." Steve

Steve describes how the conditions of jail are different than the conditions of the real world. Steve is consistently wary of the violence he experiences while in prison. However, he recognizes that heightened vulnerability is met with heightened defense. Steve's observation of his environment further demonstrates how he desires to distance himself from his surroundings.

"It's like his man looking down to see his son and seeing a monster instead." Steve

Steve addresses his fraught relationship with his father. Steve can sense his father's disappointment due to his involvement in the crime, despite Steve's assertion that he is innocent. Once Steve is accused of being an accomplice, his father loses his confidence and trust in his son. This father-son dynamic reveals the detrimental effects that prison has on an entire family.

"Who was Steve Harmon? I wanted to open my shirt and tell her to look into my heart to see who I really was, who the real Steve Harmon was." Steve

Steve addresses his confusion and frustrations concerning his relationship with O'Brien. Although O'Brien is his lawyer, Steve feels as though she does not truly believe in his innocence. Rather, she has a pre-set view of Steve's character and does not view him as a unique person. Steve strives for O'Brien to see him as a human rather than a monster, thus revealing Steve's own struggle with his sense of himself.

Monster Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Monster is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Wednesday, July 8th

The script allows Steve to speak and express himself when in court... it symbolizes his reality.

Please post your questions separately.

Edgar Allan Poe

This depends on what you want to comment on. Can you be more specific? Is it a specific work that he has done?

what page number is "You do the crime, you do the time. You act like garbage, they treat you like garbage" on

Page numbers differ depending on your book copy but you can find this quote in chapter 6.

Study Guide for Monster

Monster study guide contains a biography of Walter Dean Myers, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Monster
• Monster Summary
• Character List

Essays for Monster

Monster essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Monster by Walter Dean Myers.

• Race and Identity: 'The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian' and 'Monster'
• A Modernist Monster: Techniques and Social Messaging in Myers' Novel

Wikipedia Entries for Monster

• Introduction
• Themes and format
• Autobiographical elements

Monster Book Analysis (Essay Example)

The book Monster is a fictional book written by Walter Dean Myers, and is about the life of Steve as he struggles through a court trial and a ruling. This trial is about a murder and robbery that was commited. But based on all of the details and evidence provided by Walter Dean Myers I think that there is only one ruling that can be given; innocent. This is demonstrated by Ms. Henry, Mr.Sawicki, and Steve's own testimony, all of which gives very strong evidence proving Steve's innocence.

Despite all of the unquestionable evidence, not everyone sees Steve as innocent. Mr.King and Bobo Evans would both like you to believe that Steve was involved with this felony-murder. Mr.King along with Bobo Evans, who participated in this felony murder say that steve was the lookout. The prosecution says that because Steve didnt know were he was in the day of this tragic murder and robbery, he is guilty. But do you remember where you were a week ago, probably not. But what about 4 months ago? Why should Steve? And who do you believe more, the words of hardened criminals or Steve. An active member of his community and film student whose reputation is vouched by Mr.Sawicki's testimony.

Furthermore, Steve's innocence is backed up by Ms.Henry's testimony, an old grandma who was a bystander. She left the store to get to safety before this robbery went down after sensing danger. One quote that demonstrates Steve's innocences is when she says ¨I saw two young men.¨ This was in answer to the prosecution asking what did you see on pg 163. What does this mean? Well if Mr.King and Bobo Evans are already known participants in this robbery and felony murder. How is Steve a participant in this robbery if there were only two men? There is only one answer, Steve wasn't in the robbery. Furthemore Steve was never identified by Ms. Henry. This obviously demonstrates how Steve is innocent and had nothing to do with this crime.

Mr.Sawicki's testimony should also be taken into consideration on top of the mounting evidence proving Steve's innocence. Mr.Sawicki's testimony vouches for Steve's character. One example of Steve's character is when Mr.Sawicki was asked if he thought Steve was an honest man. Mr.Sawicki replied by saying ¨absolutely¨ on pg 235.  This shows  how Mr.Sawicki thinks Steve is a good person and an honest person, a person who wouldn't commit such a crime. But Mr.Sawicki doesn't just think of Steve as an honest man, he also thinks that he's an outstanding young man. He is talented, bright, and compassionate…¨  This was in response to being asked to describe Steve, on pg 235. Does this description of Steve sound like someone that would be involved in a robbery? Well that is because Steve isn't a person who commits crimes. Mr.Sawicki's testimony demonstrates how he is a kind and thoughtful person, a person who wouldn't commit such a horrendous crime. This further proves Steve's innocence.

One final piece of evidence is Steve's own testimony; Steve's testimony is important because it shows Steve's side of the story and is given under oath. In Steve's testimony it shows how he didnt know the participants in the robbery. When Steve was asked if he'd ever talked Bobo Evans, he responded by saying  “I might have said hi to him but i've never had a conversation with him.¨ This was on pg 226 and shows that Steve didn't really know him, so how could he commit a robbery with him?  And when Steve was if he knows Mr.King he said ¨I may have seen him on the playground and he could've said something like those guys can't play ball, stuff like that; but nothing more than that¨ These quotes from pages 226 and 227 shows just how little interaction he had with both Mr.King and Bobo Evans. How is it possible for Steve to commit a robbery with Mr.King and Bobo Evans if he doesn't know them?

Because of all the mounting evidence it is inconceivable to think that Steve committed the crime. Thus there is only one conclusion that can be drawn from all of the evidence: innocent. This evidence is shown in Ms.Henry's testimony, which shows how Steve was never present in the store at the time of the crime. Mr.sawicki's testimony demonstrates Steve's reputation as an honest, kind man. And lastly Steve's own testimony which shows Steve's side of the story. To sum it up in light of this undoubtedly evidence that has been provided; there is no doubt in my mind, and hopefully yours that Steve is innocent.

Related Samples

• Theme of Sacrifice in The Marrow Thieves Essay Example
• Culture and Identity in When the Legends Die (Essay Example)
• Control in 1984 by George Orwell Essay Sample
• I, Too by Langston Hughes Poem Analysis (Essay Example)
• Romeo and Juliet Character Analysis Essay Example
• Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok Book Review
• Essay Sample on How is Boxer Presented in Animal Farm?
• Buried Child by Sam Shepard Play Review
• Feminism in the Great Gatsby Essay Example
• Essay Example about Romeo and Juliet’s Wicked Religion

Didn't find the perfect sample?

You can order a custom paper by our expert writers