Monster Summary



Plot

-steven is accused of murder and is on trial
- he faces possibility of life imprisonment
- we see flashbacks of his life before the trial
-we see his connection to other characters
-we see a glimpse of his life in jail


Themes

- degree of murder and innocence
- many grey areas in people's lives where morality and actions collide
- responsibility
- the betrayal of our youth
Setting

- crime scene in Harlem
-drugstore where the crime took place (this is redundant in coherence with the above point.. blame the teacher not me, she made us copy this as well)
-adult jail where steven is being held; crying, beatings, and rape take place at night
- courthouse, along with the holding area where steven interacts with King


Characters



Steven:

16 years old
regular kid
scared
wants to fit in
creative individual
good student
non-confrontational
O'Brien:

good lawyer
doubts if Steven is innocent
willing to push the boundaries of the system
attempts to help/redeem steve
King:

convicted killer
street kid involved with drugs
no remorse for his crimes
tries to intimidate Steve
Cruz:

the lookout
gang member of the Diablos
slashed someone's face to get into the gang
pretends to be intimidated by Steven


Petrocelli:

prosecuting attorney
strict-good at her job
is into the details, not unnecessary facts
Bobo:

hardened criminal/street thug
long history of criminal past
not very well educated (speaks in street slang)
had chicken with King (I just wrote this down because I found it amusing... not sure if it's really relevant but she mentioned it a few times)
Briggs:

King's attorney
has anger issues
is a good lawyer
appeals to the emotion of his client


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Monster & How Could You Mrs. Dick Character Comparison

(Essay Question)



1. Are Evelyn and Steven alike or different types of people?

Is one more innocent than the other? Is one more guilty than the other (Again...this teacher knows not the meaning of REDUNDANCY)



(Crimes)

Evelyn:

accused with the murder of John Dick

accused of infanticide

conspirator

accessory to the murder of John Dick, before and after



Steven:

accessory to the murder of Nesbitt

the lookout-checked out store for cops and pedestrians

is on trial for murder



(Characters)

Evelyn:

social prostitute

involved with rich and powerful men

interested in money and glamour

no love lost for John or her family



Steven:

poor-drawn to money

friends with convicts and street thugs

good film maker

loves his family



(Bad Decisions)

Evelyn:

taking advantage of John to cover up her sleeping around

disposing of the evidence (i.e spreading ashes)

sleeping around

being a gold digger

shifting the blame unto others

lies to the police

did not give police the evidence or report the crime

either killed her son or trusted him with another



Steven:

going to drug store

being associated with King

lying on the stand

didn't do anything to prevent robbery

did nothing to help crime



(Evidence)

Evelyn:

baby in a suitcase

spreading ashes

bloody car

knowledge of murder

multiple stories

showed no despair when informed of the murder



Steven:

admits to being in the store

Bobo Evans places him in the store and coming out of the store

did not signal that there was a problem



(Evidence against/in favour of innocence)

Evelyn

incapable of dismembering a body

she was good to her newborn



Steven:

Loretta did not see him in the store



(How do they deal with being on trial)

Evelyn:

views the trial as an opportunity for publicity/fame

doesn't appear to be phased by it

does not appear worried that she will be convicted



Steven:

scared to death of being convicted

has a sense of shame (i.e when the students his age came to watch the trial, when he looked at them, they looked away intimidated)



(Notable traits)

Evelyn:

liar

thinks she's invincible in her eyes

is sexualized in her nature



Steven:

more of a "real" person

shows remorse for what happened

is a creative individual

his goal is to stay out of trouble



(Family Life)



Evelyn:

slept in the same bed as her mother for many years

her mother acted as her pimp, so to speak

was molested by her father, hence him sleeping in the basement

her family stole funds from the HSR

there is no truth in any of the family stories told by her mother

mom flipped (ratted her out) and didn't support her while she was on trial



Steven:

close to his family

his parents stand by him no matter what

cares about the trial's affect on his family, especially his little brother



(Other)



Evelyn:

is found guilty of murder



Steven:

is an observant individual



***** Both are two notably different people/polar opposites.

Evelyn tries to get into trouble, Steven strives to stay out of it.