Monster (Myers novel): Difference between revisions
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==Main characters== |
==Main characters== |
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*'''Steve Harmon''': (Main Character) A sixteen Year old African American boy who was in jail For murder |
*'''Steve Harmon''':baby yeah honey (Main Character) A sixteen Year old African American boy who was in jail For murder |
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*'''Kathy O’Brien''': Steve Harmon’s defense attorney. (She doesn't know if he is guilty or innocent but she still tries her best to plead him innocent.) |
*'''Kathy O’Brien''': Steve Harmon’s defense attorney. (She doesn't know if he is guilty or innocent but she still tries her best to plead him innocent.) |
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*'''Sandra Petrocelli''': Assistant District Attorney. She prosecutes Steve and James King, labeling them "monsters" before the jury. |
*'''Sandra Petrocelli''': Assistant District Attorney. She prosecutes Steve and James King, labeling them "monsters" before the jury. |
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Revision as of 13:30, 11 December 2012
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2010) |
 | This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. (July 2012) |
_cover_art.jpg) Cover of the book Monster | |
| Author | Walter Dean Myers |
|---|---|
| Translator | English |
| Cover artist | Christopher Myers |
| Language | spanish |
| Series | 5 parts |
| Genre | Drama, Crime novel, Mystery |
| Publisher | Harpercollins |
Publication date | April 21, 2012 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 281 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-06-440731-4 Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character |
| OCLC | 40043530 |
| LC Class | PZ7.M992 Mon 2004 |
Monster is a young adult drama novel by American author Walter Dean Myers and was published by Harpercollins in 1999. It was nominated for the 1999 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, won the Michael L. Printz Award in 2000,[1] and was named a Coretta Scott King Award Honor the same year.
The book is a mixture of the screenplay and diary formats, which are used to tell the story of Steve Harmon's murder trial. The book is written from Steve Harmon's perspective.
Main characters
- Steve Harmon:baby yeah honey (Main Character) A sixteen Year old African American boy who was in jail For murder
- Kathy O’Brien: Steve Harmon’s defense attorney. (She doesn't know if he is guilty or innocent but she still tries her best to plead him innocent.)
- Sandra Petrocelli: Assistant District Attorney. She prosecutes Steve and James King, labeling them "monsters" before the jury.
- James King: the defendant who encouraged Steve to join the robbery. He is responsible for the death of the store owner, Mr. Nesbitt.
- Richard "Bobo" Evans: the defendant who planned the robbery. The prosecution uses his testimony in an effort to put King and Steve in jail.
- Asa Briggs: The defense attorney for James King. He has blue eyes and white hair.
- The Judge: a 60-year-old man. He is tall and thin with white hair.
- Osvaldo Cruz: a 14-year-old boy. He is slim and well-built. He has a tattoo of a devil's head on his left forearm and one of a dagger on the back of his right hand between his thumb and forefinger. He is in a gang, The Diablos.
- José Delgado: the drugstore clerk. He is young, well built, and very articulate.
- Sal Zinzi: a nervous man, slightly overweight, who sells stolen goods. He wears thick glasses.
Themes
Introspection: Steve must come to terms with his own identity. He accomplishes this throughout the novel in his journal entries which he makes during his time in jail awaiting trial.
Peer Pressure: This theme is the basis for how he ended up in his current situation. Had he not given into the peer pressure by James King he wouldn’t have been involved with the robbery that led to the death of the store clerk.
Humanity: Steve is called a "monster" by the Prosecutor at the beginning of the novel and Steve grapples with the question of whether or not he is monstrous for his actions in the robbery. He is constantly reflecting upon this in his journal entries. The word can also be found scribbled faintly and scratched out on pages of the novel itself.
Autobiographical elements
 | This section possibly contains original research. (March 2012) |
Like his character, Walter Dean Myers grew up in New York.[2] As a young man, he struggled with a speech impediment that caused many of his classmates and teachers to ridicule him and think him unintelligent.[3] Myers often got into trouble at school and on the streets when trying to defend himself against the ridicule, causing many to label him a “Monster” (hence the name of his memoir), much like Steve Harmon was labeled a "monster."[4] Later, while working as a construction worker, Myers decided to follow advice given to him by his high school writing teacher and began writing at night after work, just as the character Steve Harmon writes throughout the novel.
In New York City there is a long established law that allows a person to use deadly physical force when they reasonably believe it is necessary and there is no chance of retreating from danger.[citation needed] In most cases of robbery when the suspect is a minor (case depending) they are only held until they are 18. However, when there is a murder involved this rule no longer applies and the juvenile can be incarcerated for much longer.
Bibliography
Myers, Walter (April 21, 1989). Monster. New York: HarperCollins. p. 281. ISBN 0-06-440731-4. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
References
- ^ http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/printzaward/previouswinners/winners.cfm
- ^ Myers, Walter Dean. "Biography". Walterdeanmyers.net. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Italie, Hillel (4 March 2011). "At 73, Jersey City author Walter Dean Myers is a hero to young readers". NJ.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Myers, Walter Dean. Bad Boy: a Memoir. New York, N.Y.: HarperCollins, 2001. Print