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Monster By Steve Harmon

729 Words3 Pages

At the beginning of the novel, sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon’s life dramatically changed. The teenager was arrested and charged with the murder of a Harlem drugstore owner. Although Steve was presumably not the actual killer, his role as a supposed "lookout" for the gang that committed the crime ultimately landed him in prison. With regards to this, past events can have a major effect on the present values or attitudes of a character. Moreover, Steve’s past experience has contributed to the novel’s themes- peer pressure, introspection, race and the justice system.
A very prominent theme in “Monster” is peer pressure. It was seen in how Steve was involved with people he was aware were unpleasant individuals that had a bad influence on him, and yet whom he was willing to be around. There was a sense that he needed to prove his manhood in some way by being with “tough guys.” Furthermore, peer pressure caused Steve to commit a serious crime. He lived in a bad neighborhood, which exposed him to dangerous people. He started hanging out with gangsters and eventually found himself in the middle of a convenience store robbery that resulted in the store owner’s death. Steve was, after some time spent with the goons, pressured into being a part of the “getover.” On page 151, James …show more content…

There is a perception that because Steve was young and black, in the eyes of the jury, he was “more likely” to have committed the crime. The jurors would’ve thought he was guilty and had to be involved because of his skin color. There is also the sense that if he had been arrested, he had to do it, because policemen and prosecution witnesses wouldn’t lie. Granted this, they say that everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but in the eyes of jurors, Steve Harmon seemed to be guilty until proven innocent. Though in reality, he was at the wrong place at the wrong time, and was quick to be punished because he was thought to be a

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