Walter Dean Myers Analysis

Walter Dean Myers used the narrative elements reflective journals/notes to create tension between Steve and what he thought of himself. When they were discussing how Steve’s fears changed as he spent more time in jail waiting for his trial to start Steve said, “The guards terrify me, I started laughing because it was funny. They do things to you in jail. You can’t scare somebody with a look in here.” Pg.97. Walter Dean Myers use of this quote showed that Steve realized that King couldn’t scare him anymore because after he had spent some time in jail he said that there were a lot more real and worse things in jail than King trying to scare him with just a look. The use of saying that about Steve showed that tension was beginning to build because the things that scared Steve before jail were nothing compared to the real threats in jail. When they were discussing how they were almost losing the case and Steve was doubting his innocence because

When they were discussing how you had to act in jail so you wouldn’t get hurt Steve said, “In here you don’t smile back at people who smile at you, so I just walked away.” Pg.153. The quote illustrated that Steve didn’t want to show any kindness which could be mistaken for weakness. When they were discussing how Steve felt about the robbery Walter Dean Myers portrayed him to feel remorseful about the robbery and Mr.Nesbitt Steve said, “The pictures of Mr.Nesbitt scare me. I think about him lying there knowing he was going to die. I wonder if it hurt much.” Pg.128. Through this quote Myers shows that Steve thinks about what happened during the robbery and his thoughts about it. These two quote relate back to my claim because it demonstrates how Steve and Steve’s emotions changed throughout the trial and his time in jail. These quotes also demonstrate a little bit how Steve might not have been involved in the