Steve Harmon vs. Reality: Analyzing Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Steve Harmon's Circumstances vs. My Own

The main character of Monster is a sixteen-year-old resident of Harlem who is accused of being the "look-out" during the murder of a convenience store owner. He has little hope for his future and has had few opportunities to rise above his difficult personal circumstances. He is an African-American young man who has suffered racism and oppression for most of his life. Even before he was accused of the crime, the reader is left with little doubt that "the deck was stacked against" Steve.

In contrast to Steve, I come from a supportive environment of friends and family, and do not feel as if I have to be violent or participate in violence to be accepted by those who care about me or to protect myself. I am not economically insecure like Steve, and perhaps most importantly, I have reason to hope that I will have a future that will be better than my current circumstances. Although I have experienced discrimination as a female, I have not had my self-esteem battered by racism like Steve, nor have I been traumatized in an environment like the prison where Steve finds himself in the novel.

The prosecutor calls Steve a "monster," implying that Steve is without pity, remorse, or understanding. However, because the reader sees the events of the book transpire through Steve's consciousness, the reader understands that Steve is an intelligent, morally complex individual. The reader is left with a sense that, had Steve been born into different circumstances, he would never have stood accused of murder. If Steve had not been poor, Black, and living in a racist society, this quiet young man who loves film would have been able to show his true gifts to the world. It is the environment in which Steve finds himself that is monstrous — not Steve himself.