Monster By Walter Dean Meyers Sparknotes

Monster, a novel written by Walter Dean Meyers, tells of a young black teenager named Steve Harmon and his experiences and feelings he encounters during his stay in jail. Steve is on trial for being “the lookout” of a robbery gone wrong, which resulted in the death of the store owner, Mr. Nesbitt. The man responsible for the death of Mr. Nesbitt was James King who actually pulled the trigger to end Mr. Nesbitt’s life. Yet, Steve is on trial for felony murder for being the so-called “look out”. Steve should not be held responsible for a crime he did not commit. First, Steve who was said to be the lookout was supposed to give King and “Bobo” Evans (the two robbers) “a signal”. However no signal had been given. Second there is no evidence Steve had any prior knowledge of the robbery. Steve doesn’t ever deny talking with King on occasion but it was always about basketball and other casual conversations. Unlike the others who were involved Steve is a good kid that hardly got into trouble, and the ones who love him never questioned his character. To begin with, there is the fact that no

They say that Steve was a part of it, but he decided it was the wrong thing to do a little too late. The readers who believe this say he is guilty by association. It is the belief that Steve knew the robbery was going to happen, but him not reporting it led to Mr. Nesbitt’s death, which led the readers to believe Steve, is an accomplice. This is far fetched due to the fact that Steve wasn’t close enough to King to do such a thing for him. Steve’s character, supported by a credible adult, is far more respectable than King’s. A convict like King is more likely to lie on the stand than Steve Harmon is. Steve says he hardly ever talked to King and it is obvious that that’s true. King has no proof to back up that he ever talked to Steve about the