Module 6: Fiction, Fantasy, and Young Adult Literature - MONSTER

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA:

Myers, Walter Dean. 1999. MONSTER. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0060280778

PLOT SUMMARY:

Can you imagine making a quick decision when you were 16 years old that would ultimately affect the rest of your life? This is exactly what Steve Harmon does in MONSTER. This story offers a unique look into the trial of Steve, a young aspiring filmmaker on trial for his participation in a robbery that resulted in the shooting death of a storeowner. Steve supposedly served as the “lookout,” going into the store prior to the robbery to check for cops or other problems. Although Steve did not stick around for the robbery or the shooting, he is faced with serious charges for his participation in the robbery and murder. Throughout the tense trial, Steve records his experiences through a screenplay based on his time in jail and the events of the trial. After all testimony is considered, Steve is eventually found not guilty and is free to pursue his life and dreams to make movies. The other participants in the crime were found guilty, though. In the end, Steve is left questioning himself, wondering if he is truly a monster and if he did consciously make a bad moral decision. He worries about how his parents view him now, and his lawyer gives him a cool reception after the verdict comes in, leaving Steven questioning what evil she sees in him. The trial is a triumph for Steve’s life and future, but his quick decision and consequential experiences may have changed him forever.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

MONSTER’s main character, Steve Harmon, will be very believable for young adults. On trial for his participation in a horrific crime, Steve is far from perfect. However, the reader is offered exceptional insight into Steve’s character through his passion for filmmaking, and it is revealed that Steve is not a violent or evil person. Instead, he is a typical teenager trying to fit in with a group of peers. This desire for acceptance leads him to make a bad moral decision that simply consisted of walking in and out of a store prior to a robbery. Young adults will easily relate to Steve’s dilemma, and the leap from one bad decision to a horrible chain of events is a believable one. In the end, the jury must have seen something in Steve to indicate that he did not intentionally participate in this horrific crime, reaffirming readers’ belief that Steve is a relatively good person caught up in very bad situation.

MONSTER’s tense, nail-biting plot offers an interesting and unique look at the experiences of a young man on trial for murder. Framed in Steve’s screenplay, young adults will find this plot fascinating, believable, and mesmerizing.

The setting of this story is primarily the prison and courtroom during modern times. The setting feels current and authentic, and Myers offers terrifying glimpses into what being in prison and on trial is really like. This dismal setting plays a significant role in the story, highlighting Steve’s fear and despair.

In MONSTER, Myers offers a unique exploration of the general theme of good versus evil. Steve’s morals are put into question, forcing an examination of what types of actions make a person immoral. Enmeshed in all of these moral dilemmas is Steve’s own struggle with figuring out who he really is and where he fits in. His choices and previous friendships leave him questioning if he will ever be a good person again as he approaches adulthood.

MONSTER is written in a very unique style, as a movie script/diary written from the young man on trial’s perspective. For Steve, viewing this experience in the form of a movie helps him distance himself from the harsh reality he is facing. For the reader, the movie script layout adds an artistic element to the story and personalizes the experience from Steve’s point of view. Myers’ choice of blunt, harsh language adds to the authenticity of the equally harsh situation, and the language reveals the intense emotion wrapped up in this story.

Myers carefully portrays the dilemmas of youth and the often harsh consequences of poor decisions in a credible and fascinating way. MONSTER raises some important questions about human nature and morality, and it deserves a place in any collection for young adults.

REVIEW EXCERPTS:

From SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (July 1999):
“Many elements of this story are familiar, but Myers keeps it fresh and alive by telling it from an unusual perspective. Steve, an amateur filmmaker, recounts his experiences in the form of a movie screenplay. His striking scene-by-scene narrative of how his life has dramatically changed is riveting.”

From HORN BOOK starred (Fall 1999):
“Arrested and charged with murder, sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon is writing a screenplay of his ordeal. Balancing courtroom drama and a sordid jailhouse setting with flashbacks to the crime, Myers adeptly allows each character to speak for him or herself, leaving readers to judge for themselves the truthfulness of the defendants, witnesses, lawyers, and, most compellingly, Steve himself.”

From BOOKLIST (Vol. 95, No. 17 (May 1, 1999)):
“The tense drama of the courtroom scenes will enthrall readers, but it is the thorny moral questions raised in Steve's journal that will endure in readers' memories. Although descriptions of the robbery and prison life are realistic and not overly graphic, the subject matter is more appropriate for high-school-age than younger readers.”

*Awards:
Michael L. Printz Award
National Book Award Finalist
Coretta Scott King Honor Book

CONNECTIONS:

*Other books by Walter Dean Myers:
Myers, Walter Dean. 2004. SHOOTER. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0060295201

Myers, Walter Dean. 2004. HERE IN HARLEM: POEMS IN MANY VOICES.New York: Holiday House. ISBN 0823418537

Myers, Walter Dean. 2005. AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MY DEAD BROTHER. Ill. by Christopher Myers. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 006058291X

*Activities:
MONSTER lends itself well to a follow-up classroom discussion on a variety of moral topics. Older students will enjoy analyzing Steve’s decisions and discussing the options that he had. Since Steve is such a notable character, a deeper look into the motivation and meaning behind his actions, as well as the consequences of his actions, may prove valuable to students.

Having students write their own screenplays of an important event in their lives may also prove to be an engaging and meaningful activity. Writing about an event in this manner will force students to consider a variety of ways to convey their stories, such as emotion, setting, scene changes, dialogue, and visual effects. Some students may even appreciate the opportunity to share, perform, or even record their screenplays with a video camera for their classmates.

Since the end of the story leaves the reader questioning how Steve will fare after he is found not guilty, students may enjoy extending the story by writing about what happens next in Steve’s life. Is he successful at making films? How are his relationships with family members once he returns home? How his Steve’s experience changed him?

Students may also benefit from writing a letter to Steve at various times throughout his ordeal. Students who choose to write to Steve prior to the robbery can provide him with a list of choices that he can make in order to guide him towards a good moral decision. Students may also choose to write to Steve during the trial or even after he is found not guilty, asking him questions about his experience and offering him encouragement and suggestions for his future.

*Websites:
http://www.walterdeanmyers.net/index.html
http://english.byu.edu/Novelinks/reading%20strategies/Monster/Monster.htm
http://www.harperchildrens.com/schoolhouse/TeachersGuides/myers.htm