Previous Next

Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes.

The Monster

After the prosecuting attorney refers to Steve Harmon as a monster, Steve defiantly accepts the label and makes it the title of the screenplay he is writing about his experience. The image of a monster, which is racially coded, stands for all that is evil and alien to society. Steve Harmon internalizes this image. He recognizes that even his own father is starting to look at him as a monster. Sunset, one of Steve’s fellow prisoners, reads Steve’s screenplay and defiantly identifies himself as a monster too. To counter the monster image, Steve’s attorney, Kathy O’Brien, has to make Steve into a human being in the eyes of the jury. O’Brien’s tactic succeeds, but she turns away from Steve after the verdict, leaving him feeling like an alien. The monster represents the dark side of Steve’s self-definition.

Tears and Crying

Monster opens with the sounds of crying, a signal of despair, sorrow, fear, and pain. In the opening, screams mask the sounds of sobs. Crying sets the extreme, emotional tone of the story. Tears and crying also signal moments when Steve empathizes with others. For example, Steve wants to cry along with a fellow prisoner who is crying over a long sentence. Seeing and hearing his father and mother cry makes Steve feel terrible because he feels their disappointment in him. Steve’s father cries again after hearing the verdict. His tears create a sense of emotional release.

Handcuffs and Chains

Steve Harmon endures handcuffs and chains every time he leaves his cell for his trial and whenever he is waiting for his appearance in the courtroom. The handcuffs define Steve as a prisoner and brand him as a criminal. They are a continual reminder of the possible future that Steve is facing. Handcuffs and chains also function as signals that the setting of the story is changing, from prison to courtroom and back. In addition, they represent the petty power of the law, as when Steve remains in handcuffs while he watches his guards eat and listens to them exchange trivial small talk. It’s as if the handcuffs and chains have made Steve invisible, a “non-person.” He is not even there. Chained and handcuffed, Steve feels powerless.

Cartons of Cigarettes

Sandra Petrocelli, the prosecuting attorney, uses cartons of cigarettes as a motif as she creates a chain of evidence that links Steve Harmon to the crime. Cigarettes are an effective rhetorical device because they are both common and memorable. The jury can easily envision the robbers stealing the cigarettes and selling them on the street. Cigarettes represent addiction, wasted money, and poor health. In the story, the perpetrators are willing to kill a man for some cash and a few cartons of cigarettes. Their behavior proves how little they value human life. The cigarettes also help lead the police to track down those involved in the robbery and murder.

Previous section Themes Next section Symbols

Take a Study Break