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Monster By Walter Dean Myers Analysis

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Guilty! Most defense attorney believe in the principle that says,’ better 10 guilty go free than even one possibly innocent person being convicted’. In the novel Monster by Walter Dean Myers, Steve Harmon is a 16 year old boy from Harlem, New York that was accused of being a look out for a robbery. This robbery resulted in the killing of the of the owner, Mr.Nesbitt, and became a felony murder. Steve is put on trial that could result in 25 years to life in prison if he was guilty. He gets the verdict of not guilty since there is room for reasonable doubt, and is released from jail. Steve is definitely guilty since the jury was not able to read his journal and think his thoughts. First of all, Steve questions himself about whether he is innocent or a monster. When Steve was talking to one of his inmates, “He said when he gets out, he will have the word Monster tattooed on his forehead. I feel like I already have it tattooed on mine” (61). This shows that Steve already thinks of himself as a monster from what he had done. His mom believed that he was innocent, “It was [him] who wasn’t sure. It was [him] who lay on the cot wondering if [he] was fooling [himself]” (148). In order for someone to believe in you, you …show more content…

“When I don’t like the answers, I’ll turn it upside down. You figure out what’s wrong with the answer you gave me” (218). Steve and O’Brien had went over what he was going to say prior to the court session, but if he was innocent there would be nothing to worry about. Steve also had flashbacks that the jury doesn’t know about, including where he talks to King about needing money and wanting to rob a bank (50). The jury has no idea that the conversation had happened so they did not have enough information to deliver a verdict of guilty. The jury was not able to get all the information, but if the did, Steve would definitely be

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