Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Myers, W.D. (1999). Monster. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

Monster consists of several characters, but Steve Harmon, a Black young man, who is 16 years of age is the main character, he is in jail facing charges for the murder of Mr. Nesbitt, the owner of a drugstore. It all starts as Steve is incarcerated for acting as the look-out in a robbery that goes wrong. He is the main narrator and the story is written in the form of a screenplay following his journal entries. Steve writes in screenplay format because he wants to become a filmmaker, and because it is a way to disassociate himself from the unfolding terrifying situation he is experiencing. He learned that the best time to cry in jail is at night when other prisoners are screaming and yelling. He realizes that he must not show weakness in jail, the same as while he was out on the street. He starts to wonder if he is becoming some kind of evil monster when he looks at himself in the cell’s mirror. 

As the novel evolves, I could identify the first theme, identifying oneself as a good person or not since the prosecutor calls Steve a monster during her opening arguments. Steve begins to wonder if he is a good person or a monster after all. He begins to question himself and wonder … what constitutes a good person? He believes that doing odd little jobs here and there for gang leaders are part of surviving the streets, as well as showing that he’s strong in jail while he’s really not. He believes these are not signs or debts of a bad person, but things he has to do to survive. Steve insists in his journal that “he didn’t do nothing.” But, James King and the others try to associate Steve as part of their crew throughout the novel, which seems to implicate him as part of the robbery. Mrs. O’Brien argues throughout the story by using Steve’s good character as the main argument so that the grand jury can see and understand that Steve is different than Mr. King and his crew and that Steve could have not been part of this monstrous act. Even with all of this, Steve still feels that Ms. O’Brien thinks he is guilty and is just doing her job in the courtroom.


As both, Steve’s attorney and the state’s attorney finish up their closings, the Jury comes back with a verdict of guilty for James King and he is sentenced 25 years to life. Steve is found not guilty. Steve’s mother is happy he is not in jail, but his father has distanced from him even more. When Steve hears his verdict, he unexpectedly reaches out to hug Ms. O’Brien, she turns away rigidly, indicating that there is something bad about Steve despite his acquittal. That left Steve wondering...and asking himself... what did she see in him that made her turned away?

This random act has left me as well thinking whether if guilt equals goodness and whether acquittal equals innocence. As the reader, I noticed that the facts of the crime are not truly stated in the story, so I was left wondering if Steve was or was not a lookout at the crime scene. The book illustrates two captions that read: “What was I doing?” and “What was I thinking?” It is not clear if the photos are a product of Steve’s imagination or if they serve as clues that he was actually in that store. 

This book is intended for readers ages 13 through 18. Any teacher may find this book suitable for their students in order to teach them about good character traits and how they may be confused when a person associates themselves with the wrong crowd. Also to teach the importance of choosing the right group of friends that will not encourage you to make wrong decisions. This thought reminds me of Havinghurst's Theory of Developmental Tasks in which he discusses how adolescents must develop morals and values. That this is the time of weighing one's morals and values, of rejecting some and gaining others. The book Divergent, by Veronica Roth is a book I recommend to continue reading about defining who you truly are and facing one's fears just like Steve experienced in Monster. This book consists of 281 pages.