Various literary devices are utilized in Monster by Walter Dean Myers to develop themes of violence and dehumanization.
Steve presents much of his story as a screenplay, as if he is watching his own fate play out on a stage. He uses flashback to provide the context for the way violence has always been in the background of his childhood in Harlem:
CUT TO: NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENT.
NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENT
I ain’t shocked. People getting killed and everything and it ain’t right but I ain’t hocked none. They killed a little girl just about 2 months ago and she was just sitting on her stoop.
Residents believe that the ongoing violence is a "terrible shame" but that "there's no place to go" despite tragedies like the one Steve is accused of being involved in. The murder of this little girl happened before the murder of Mr. Nesbitt, which establishes the ongoing issue of violence in the area.
Allusions are used to reveal Steve's feelings of shock and horror. When he arrives at the detention center, he feels like he is part of another world:
VO continues with anonymous PRISONER explaining how the Detention Center is the real thing. As he does, words appear on the screen, just like the opening credits of the movie Star Wars, rolling from the bottom of the screen and shrinking until they are a blur on the top of the screen before rolling off into space.
The allusion to Star Wars provides a familiar context for this otherworldly experience and also elicits associations of a classic battle between good and evil, which is an important thematic connection.
Adages are sometimes used to convey the nature of the legal system:
You do the crime, you do the time.
This well-known saying cuts to the heart of the legal process, but it does not account for the public perception that Steve "must" be guilty by association. He faces quite a legal challenge in his efforts to escape a long prison sentence.
Imagery is used to convey Steve's feelings of isolation and horror during the trial:
When I got back to the cell and changed my clothes, I had to mop the corridors with four other guys. We were all dressed in the orange jumpsuits they give you and the guards made us line up. The water was hot and soapy and had a strong smell of some kind of disinfectant. The mops were heavy and it was hot and I didn’t like doing it. Then I realized that the five guys doing the mopping must have all looked alike and I suddenly felt as if I couldn’t breathe. I tried to suck the air into my lungs, but all I got was the odor of the disinfectant and I started gagging.
Steve despises life inside prison and often describes how prison culture makes him feel lonely and despondent.
Similes are used to reveal Steve's fears regarding the future:
First I was scared of being hit or raped. That being scared was like a little ball in the pit of my stomach. Now that ball is growing when I think about what kind of time I can get.
This particular simile demonstrates that the reality of being convicted of a felony is becoming clear for Steve; it isn't the daily danger that he is most worried about as time passes in prison. Instead, he begins to realize that he is in real danger of losing the next two decades of his life.
Irony is also used to represent Steve's legal predicament:
I was looking for Jerry. They didn’t allow kids in the visiting area, which was funny. It was funny because if I wasn’t locked up, I wouldn’t be allowed to come into the visiting room.
Steve is only sixteen, yet he is imprisoned with violent adults who commit horrific acts all around him. Even the waiting room is considered too dangerous for children, so Steve's younger brother isn't allowed to see him. However, the danger of the prison is not considered too much for a child accused of a felony, whether he has been proven guilty or not.
These and other literary devices demonstrate the challenges of Steve's legal situation, particularly as he realizes that he is characterized as a "monster" by society.
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