Isolation In A Monster Calls

Ness’s novel ‘A Monster Calls’ explores the diverse natures of complex emotions and explains them to children who may have experienced loss in their lives. Following Conor, a boy facing internal conflict centred around his mother’s cancer, he has overwhelming emotions and he does not know how to handle these, until he is visited by the monster. Appearing frightening at first, he helps Conor understand his feelings and accept his mother’s fate. Appealing to children experiencing unexpected loss and grief, where they can be confused about how life has changed. Lonely, self conscious and empty, Ness portrays the theme of isolation in the novel ‘A Monster Calls’ through the protagonist, Conor. After Conor and Harry fight, on page 152 it is stated

Please!’ The author’s versatile yet powerful use of exclamatory speech enhances tension and intensifies pace to gradually introduce the climax. On top of that, the integration of Conor’s desperate pleads is expressed through the use of ‘Please!’ as the values of short sentences and the sense of urgency meticulously align to submerge the reader into the heat of the moment. For the embodiment of suspense, the rapid use of short paragraphs also serves as quick declaratives that indicate the fit of frenzy in the nightmare, and mimics Conor’s severe emotions: racing, fierce and extreme. Ness enhances the suspense by carefully utilising Conor’s emotions and experiences. This could be influenced by Ness’s own state of tension concerning his loss to Siobhan Dowd and replicating it with Conor’s narrative with his mother. Patrick Ness’s intentions highlight the reality that fear and tension are inherent in life’s most challenging moments. By balancing Conor’s delicate emotions and his immense pressure to change something unchangeable (displayed throughout the story, whenever there are surges of tension), Ness upholds the soul of suspense, and conveys it through his own experiences, proving authenticity. This technique also engages the reader and also deepens the emotional impact of the