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Summary: Opening Note

A prisoner sits in his cell, writing in his notebook. The prisoner explains how he looks in the mirror and does not recognize himself. He describes how unreal everything feels in jail. The prisoner then decides to write his own movie and to call it what the prosecutor has called him: Monster.

Summary: Monday, July 6th 

Steve’s screenplay begins inside Block D of the Manhattan Detention Center. The camera moves into a cell. Steve Harmon sits on a cot. He is sixteen years old, thin, and brown-skinned. A suit and tie lie on the cot next to him. The title frames of a movie appear. Monster: The Story of My Miserable Life is written, directed, and produced by Steve Harmon.

A series of scenes take Steve from the breakfast table at the prison, to the inside of the Corrections Department van, into the courthouse, and into a small room, where Steve meets with Kathy O’Brien, his lawyer. O’Brien explains that Steve and his fellow defendant James King are on trial for felony murder and urges Steve to act seriously at all times. Guards escort Steve and King into the courtroom. O’Brien explains to Steve that her job will be to make him a human being in the eyes of the jury.

The judge enters and exchanges pleasant greetings with Sandra Petrocelli, the prosecutor; Asa Briggs, the attorney for King; and O’Brien. A flashback takes Steve to a film workshop, where the teacher discusses effective endings. The camera cuts back to the courtroom as the jury files in. Petrocelli makes her opening statement. She appeals to the jury’s patriotism and contrasts the decent, hardworking citizens living in the community with the criminals or “monsters.” Petrocelli reviews the facts of the case: A drugstore owner is dead, killed in the course of a robbery. The State contends that the two men who robbed and killed the victim are Richard “Bobo” Evans and James King. Petrocelli also contends that before the robbery took place, Steve Harmon checked out the store to make sure the coast was clear.

While Petrocelli speaks, Steve writes the word Monster over and over again. Kathy O’Brien crosses out the words. She whispers to Steve that he must believe in himself if the jury is to find him innocent.

O’Brien makes her opening statement in Steve’s defense. She promises to show the jury why there is reasonable doubt that “Mr. Harmon” committed any crime at all. O’Brien reminds the jury that Steve is innocent until proven guilty and urges them not to prejudge his case. Asa Briggs then makes a statement in King’s defense. Briggs warns the jury that the State’s case against his client will rely on the testimony of known criminals.

The first witness is José Delgado, an employee of the store where the robbery and murder took place. José testifies that he left the store to get some Chinese food and then returned to find Mr. Nesbitt, the store owner, on the floor. The cash register was open, and some cartons of cigarettes were missing. Mr. Nesbitt was dead. The next witness is Salvatore Zinzi, an inmate of Riker’s Island prison. Zinzi testifies that he learned from Wendell Bolden, another prisoner, about the drugstore robbery and murder. Zinzi admits he stole Bolden’s chance to cut a deal with the State in return for his testimony. Both O’Brien and Briggs discredit Zinzi’s testimony. In a flashback, Steve’s screenplay recalls a childhood incident in which he threw a rock and his friend got the blame.

Analysis: Opening Note and Monday, July 6th 

The opening of Monster sets up the book’s format, in which handwritten notes by Steve Harmon in a type of journal alternate with typewritten pages of a screenplay, also by Steve Harmon. As with all screenplays, the camera directions help tell the story. In the handwritten notes, Steve describes his prison life, expresses his feelings and inner thoughts, and jots down ideas for his movie. In the typed screenplay, Steve tells the story of his trial for robbery and murder.

The handwritten opening note describes how the trauma of being in jail affects Steve Harmon. He cries at night, when others are screaming, to hide his sniffles. Because Steve feels like he’s in a movie, he begins thinking of his experience as a screenplay. Steve’s screenplay then transfers the action into the courtroom. Because Steve goes to trial in the company of James King, King and Steve are considered partners in the eyes of the jury.

The formal opening statements of the three lawyers establish the strengths and weaknesses of the prosecution’s case and Steve’s defense. The opening statements also provide clues about the personalities and tactics of the lawyers. Sandra Petrocelli talks with great confidence and makes sweeping generalizations and emotional appeals, including appeals to racism. Petrocelli’s tactics make it necessary for O’Brien to remind the jurors not to prejudge the case. Asa Briggs, the attorney for James King, defends his client by going on the attack. Briggs directly challenges the reliability of Salvatore Zinzi as a witness. O’Brien follows Briggs’s line of questioning, and together they make Zinzi look like a liar.

The opening scenes of the screenplay also introduce the relationship between Steve and Kathy O’Brien, his lawyer. Before the trial starts, O’Brien urges Steve to take the trial seriously and says that her job is to make him a human being in the eyes of the jury. O’Brien’s attitude suggests that she does not see Steve as smart enough to recognize his own peril. O’Brien clearly has doubts about Steve. She encourages him to believe in himself to convince a jury that he is innocent. O’Brien does not add any indication that she believes in him.

Racism enters the story in the opening speeches of both Petrocelli and O’Brien. Petrocelli contrasts “decent, hardworking citizens” with “monsters in our communities.” In her opening defense speech, O’Brien then reminds the jury that lynching is no longer acceptable. Both Petrocelli and O’Brien, two white women, take racist attitudes for granted and load their speech with racially coded words. The element of racism adds to the suspense of the story. The fact that Steve Harmon is Black adds uncertainty over whether he will get a fair trial.

The testimony of Salvatore Zinzi brings up the difference between lying and telling the truth. After Zinzi testifies, the screenplay flashes back to a childhood incident in which Steve threw a rock and his friend Tony got the blame. The flashback is a reminder that one can fail to tell the truth without actually lying.

The camera directions in the screenplay carry Steve back and forth between his jail cell and the courtroom and show him enduring the indignities of being an accused prisoner. These indignities include being handcuffed, chained, and always kept under guard. Steve must also experience the indifference and occasional cruelty of the guards, who eat take-out meals and discuss their personal lives just as if Steve is not present, invisible, which is how he feels.

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