Monster: Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Mode
By Jennifer R Smith
As readers, we all have different preferences when it comes to the way we consume information. Some prefer the traditional format of a book, while others may enjoy a more visual experience, such as a screenplay. In the case of Walter Dean Myers' novel Monster, the protagonist, Steve Harmon, a 16-year-old African American teenager is on trial for his alleged involvement in a robbery and murder. Myers chose to draft the story in two different modes: a journal that Steve writes while he is in prison, and a screenplay that he writes to depict the events of the trial and his life before the crime. These two modes of presenting information to the reader create different reading experiences, different information, and different reader connections with Steve and his story. According to the article, “What did she see?” The White Gaze and Postmodern Triple Consciousness in Walter Dean Myers’s Monster by Tim Engles and Fern Kory,
Monster’s two-pronged narrative structure reflects the complexity of Steve Harmon’s rhetorical situation. In the handwritten journal entry that begins the novel, Steve writes that his life seems like “a strange movie with no plot and no beginning” (3). Expressing a need to “make sense of ” and “block out” the experience, he decides to occupy his mind by representing the experience in screenplay, which becomes the novel’s primary narrative mode. The result is a postmodern narrative that invites readers to question each adjusted sense of identity formed, and performed, by its protagonist. It also invites consideration of how young adult readers who are presumed to be “like” Steve (at least in terms of age) read someone “like” him (in terms of gender and race) who has been arrested for felony murder (Engels et al 52).
Together, these modes create a dynamic story that forces the reader to utilize their critical thinking skills and form their own opinions based on Steve’s journal and screenplay.
The novel Monster is written in the form of a journal, with Steve Harmon as the narrator. This format allows readers to get inside Steve's head and experience his thoughts and feelings firsthand. We are able to see the world through his eyes and understand his perspective on the events that unfold. For example, Steve writes, "I don't know what's going to happen to me. But I know I'm not the same person I was. I'm not sure who I am” (Myers 17). This quote shows the internal struggle Steve is facing and allows readers to empathize with him. The journal mode also allows the reader to access his personal reflections on his identity, his family, his friends, and his situation. The journal entries are written from a first-person point of view, which creates a sense of intimacy and empathy between the reader and Steve. The journal mode also reveals information that is not shown in the screenplay mode, such as Steve's dreams, his memories, his fears, and his hopes. For example, in one journal entry, Steve writes: "I want to look like a good person. I want to feel like I'm somebody. I don't want to feel like I'm nothing" (Myers 142). This shows how Steve struggles with his self-image and self-worth, as well as how he wants to be perceived by others. The journal also humanizes Steve by showing his vulnerability, his emotions, his aspirations, and his humanity.
The screenplay mode, on the other hand, allows the reader to see the events of the trial and Steve's life before the crime from an objective and cinematic perspective. The screenplay mode is written in third-person point of view, which creates a sense of distance and detachment between the reader and Steve. The screenplay mode also shows information that is not revealed in the journal mode, such as the testimonies of the witnesses, the arguments of the lawyers, the reactions of the jury, and the details of the crime scene. For example, in one scene of the screenplay, the prosecutor says: "The defendant was part of a plan that resulted in a murder. He acted as a lookout while James King entered Mr. Nesbitt's drugstore with a gun" (Myers 25). This shows how Steve is accused and portrayed by the prosecution as a monster. The screenplay format provides a more visual experience. It allows readers to see the story play out before their eyes, almost like a movie. The screenplay includes descriptions of the setting and characters' actions, which helps readers to visualize the story more vividly. An example of a clear description from Steve's body language and emotions in that moment. Those words portray a young man who is scared and desperately trying to comprehend the events and his own actions that led him to that jail cell.
The different modes of presenting information to the reader also create different reader connections with Steve and his story. The journal mode invites the reader to sympathize with Steve and to understand his point of view. We are able to understand his motivations and see how he evolves throughout the story. In contrast, the screenplay format focuses more on the external events and actions of the characters. It does not delve as deeply into Steve's inner world but instead shows us what is happening around him. While the screenplay mode challenges the reader to question Steve's innocence and credibility. The journal mode makes the reader feel closer to Steve and his story, while the screenplay mode makes the reader feel more distant from Steve and his story. The journal mode humanizes Steve and his story, while the screenplay mode dehumanizes Steve and his story. It challenges the reader to question Steve’s credibility and innocence.
Works Cited
Engles, Tim, and Fern Kory. “‘What Did She See?’: The White Gaze and Postmodern Triple
Consciousness in Walter Dean Myers’s Monster.” Children’s Literature Association
Quarterly, vol. 39, no. 1, 2014, pp. 49–67, https://doi.org/10.1353/chq.2014.0017.
Myers, Walter Dean, and Christopher Myers. Monster. Scholastic, 2000.
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