Theme of Monster

I think that the theme of this book is to never give up or lose faith in yourself.  I say this because Steve sounded honest and believed he was not guilty, but many people doubted him.

For example, when Steve was announced not guilty, he turned to his lawyer to thank her and hug her.   Instead, she turned around and left.   I think this shows that Steve's lawyer clearly had given up on him.  She had lost all hope and was so shocked, that I think it confused her.  She was probably happy,  but was so confused why he was innocent.

Another time was when Steve's father visited him in jail.  He described how high hopes he had for Steve like being on the football team and going to college.  The way he was talking it made it seem like he had also given up hope because he assumed Steve would never get to do any of these things.

This is what I think the theme of this book is.

Who I Would Like to Meet and Why

I am currently reading the book Monster by Walter Dean Myers.  I would most like to meet Steve because he seems like an honest kid who didn't know what he was getting into when he agreed to help rob a drugstore.  

The first reason why I would want to meet him is because he is courageous.  He describes jail as a vicious place.  For example, he once saw a man get stabbed in the eye, and he also witnessed someone getting beat with a lunch tray.  Steve describes jail as a ruthless place, but it seems like he is being very courageous about his situation.

The second reason why I would want to meet Steve is because of his determination.  It has become pretty clear that he didn't kill anyone, and is only a minor accomplice to the felony murder he is accused of.  Even though many believe he is guilty, he is determined throughout the book to be free and prove his innocence.  I think this is a good trait because it shows that he hasn't given up on life just because of the accusations of him.

This is why I would like to meet Steve Harmon if I could in real life.

Favorite Character

My all time favorite character is Harry Potter.  In the first book, Harry was completely oblivious to the magical world.  For example, when he received 1000's of letters through the fireplace, he had no clue what was going on, but they were all for him.  He took the beating his uncle gave him, and persevered because he somehow knew those letters were going to help get him out of 4 Privet Drive. However, by the end of the book he had fought and destroyed Voldemort, and was much more aware and even humble.  He had seen first hand what dark magic, while in the large flaming room fighting Voldemort for the stone, could do, and he had fought it. Here is a 12 year old boy, who had been practicing magic for less than a year, and he had the courage to fight back.   From beginning to end, Harry has gone from oblivious and confused to aware and courageous.  This clearly shows a big change throughout the story.

I think that I can connect so strongly to Harry because just like when he first went to Hogwarts and was confused and scared, the first time I started Lacrosse I was confused and VERY scared.  This helped me gauge how Harry was feeling that first time the boat rowed across the lake to Hogwarts.  It allowed me to paint a better picture in my mind about Harry.  I don't think my fear was quite as large as Harry's but it was at least comparable.  This is why I think I am strongly connected to Harry Potter.