Monster by Walter Dean Meyers

In the book Monster, by Walter Dean Meyers, there are a lot of literary devices that makes the story the phenomenon it is today. The author uses many different tactics to manipulate the story into an edge-of-your-seat read. For example, the author’s writing style is in first person, so a narrator is telling the story. This narrator is Steve Harmon. Steve Harmon is on trial for murder, at the age of 16, something very shocking. This makes the story intriguing because you can read at the perspective of this boy who is on trial, which can be, at times, very nerve racking. But his writing style is not the only thing that makes this book memorable. The author also uses journal entries from this convict to develop suspense. As it states on page 59, “They take away your shoelaces and your belt so you can’t kill yourself no matter how bad it is. I guess making you live is part of the punishment.” This journal entry creates suspense because it takes you inside of the mind of a young criminal, which is very disturbing, but yet also makes the reader want to sympathize for this young man, because his chance to go to grow up is at stake. While Steve is in jail, it is often hard for him to keep his mind in the right place, and if it was me in there, I would too. The author displays this by including flashbacks of young Steve’s mind throughout the book. As it states on page 202, “It is a nice day on the outside. On the street below, people walk in what looks like a crisscross pattern across the narrow streets. On the corner there is a cart that sells food, frankfurters or sausages I guess, and sodas. People stand around buying what they want, then move away. It looks like something I would like to do, move away from where I am.” By using this flashback, the author has established that Steve misses his life at home and wants to get out of jail.
Using the actual experience of a troubled young teen, Walter Dean Meyers has created a very pleasing book.