Summary Of Monster By Walter Dean Myers

In his novel Monster, Walter Dean Myers argues that incarceration distorts people's identity through the gradual change of language, visual appearance, and the manner of actions prisoners perform while interned. The novel Monster shows the hardships of being a prisoner through Walter Dean Myers main protagonist Steve. In the story, Steve is being tried for felony murder and he is put in prison from his arrest to the end of his trial. In prison, Steve begins to notice that his identity begins to change in many ways. Walter Dean Myers shows that the identity of Steve in prison is clearly not static. Instead, the author argues that Steves identity takes a fluid approach while being interned. The reader also gradually notices the effect incarceration

In the prison visitor center, Steve uses terminology that prisoners use, and his mother is shocked by this because he had never spoken like this before the internment of Steve. Some guys have done a whole calendar here. She looked at me puzzled” (Myers 147). This conversation between Steve and his mother shows that since Steve is being exposed to external influences, it is affecting who he is and how he uses different language terminology towards others. When Steve talks like this towards his mother, the reader can see, Steve clearly is exposed to this in his daily life while being incarcerated. The reader can also notice a gradual progression of language throughout the novel from Steve. Most of this language change the reader can see is the effect of incarceration on Steve in the novel which causes massive identity changes that the reader can notice as clearly as day. Walter Dean Myers argued that incarceration eventually leads to language change, which in turn distorts prisoners' identity. The fact that Steve’s language is changing around his loved ones secures that Steve’s identity is changing because of his time