Summer Reading 2nd Part

Major Character (What He Desires)

Steve Harmon -
This sixteen year old after facing the realities of crime he is facing a battle within himself for a right to call himself good. This is a ongoing battle through out the book because of all the guilt that gets thrown at him and how deeply this affects Steve and his self-confidence. He expresses conflict over his guilt or innocence in various ways. Did he participate in the robbery and therefore, according to the law, is he equally as guilty as the person who killed Nesbitt? So after evaluating Steve you can see that Steve desires or wants the right to call himself a good person, also I would say he wants the guilt to go away.

Theme

The primary theme of the story that is beginning to develop is examining how a person who commits a crime (Young Adult) is arrested, convicted, tried, and punished. This book looks at the legal system through the eyes of a young, African American teenager. He paints horrible images of life in jail

Structure

At quick glance, I thought the screenplay would be distracting and Steve’s journal entries appeared at random. However, after getting used to the style (This is a very new style for me), I quickly realized just how effective it is. This style creates an important visual element that makes the story engaging.

Summer Reading 1st Post of Monster

Major Characters

Steve Harmon -
He is a sixteen year old young Black male who has been arrested for being the look-out in robbery that goes bad and ends in a murder. He is the narrator for the story.

Kathy O’Brien - 
She is Steve’s defense attorney she distances him from the other defendants as way of getting a not guilty verdict.

Sandra Petrocelli -
She is the Assistant District Attorney who prosecutes the case against Steve and James King. She labels them “monsters.” Which is where the title of the book comes from

James King -
A black man who is also young, but older than Steve, he encourages Steve to be a part of his crew which will rob the drugstore. He is accused of being in the drugstore, wrestling Mr. Nesbitt for the gun, and ultimately shooting the older man to death.

Setting

The story takes place in Manhattan and Harlem, New York City, mostly in a city lockup, but sometimes in the neighborhood where Steve Harmon lives.

Conflict

The book consists of multiple conflicts between man vs. man also man vs. self but I would say the main the conflict is man vs. society. It is man vs. society because Steve is 16 years and deal with the most frightening nature of the justice system.  But could also be man vs. self because of Steve's battle to prove his innocence within the novel.