Monster Analysis

The CourtroomClose your eyes and picture the setting of Kris Kringle's trial in Miracle on 34th Street. Haven't seen it? How about To Kill a Mockingbird? The Pelican Brief ? Runaway Jury? Lega...

Young Adult LiteratureIs our main character a teenager? Check.Is our main character trying to sort things out for himself? Check.Does our main character feel different from those around him? Check....

Depending on where he's writing, Steve uses two completely different tones. This helps him strikes a balance for himself, and this balance seems essential for his sanity as he goes through his tria...

Unhindered and Stream of ConsciousnessSteve's journals make us feel like he's on the verge of terrified tears—all the time. It's fine and dandy to know that this is how his journal feels, but how...

Monster encapsulates everything Steve fears. He fears the jail filled with monstrously violent men; he fears the courtroom, and the jury that won't look at him. Most importantly, though, he fears h...

It's been five months since the trial ended, but Steve still relives the last day of the trial. He just can't seem to keep the images from swirling in his head, but the questions that haunt him are...

Monster is a screenplay and a journal. As such, it switches from courtroom mode to flashback mode to personal venting mode. These leaps can get confusing, but don't worry—it never gets all James...

Jailhouse RockA trial is not so fun to read about without someone to root for, so we've got to set up the situation before bringing down the gavel. Here we go, in a jiffy: Steve is in jail, and h...

Walter Dean Myers's son, Stephen, illustrates a lot of his dad's children's books. (Source.) Myers thought his foster father didn't like his books, but after he died Myers found out he just couldn'...

While there isn't anything hot and heavy within the pages, there is plenty that's scary and slimy. The sights and sounds of a jail cell are far from pretty, and though Steve stays on the outside of...

Malcolm X Boulevard (4.11)Yankees (7.14)Mayor Giuliani (10.33-35)Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem (14.1)