Monster Friday afternoon, July 17th & December, 5 months later Summary & Analysis

Summary: Friday afternoon, July 17th

On the afternoon of Friday, July 17, Steve writes in his notebook that he is afraid to go to sleep. There is nothing more that he can do about his case. Steve starts to understand why his fellow prisoners are always talking about appeals. He remembers seeing his mother clinging to his father’s arm after the judge’s instructions to the jury with a look of desperation on her face. Now Steve can’t feel sorry for her anymore because all he can think of is himself and his case. He is already planning his appeal. Steve recalls Petrocelli’s claim that he had made a moral decision, but he can’t figure out what decision he made. Nothing is real to him except panic. Steve keeps editing his movie in his mind. In his movie, he knows what truth is and doesn’t walk moral tightropes. He imagines the background music of cellos and violas.

A guard announces that there’s a verdict in Harmon and King’s case. The camera cuts to the courtroom, which is now fairly crowded. O’Brien finishes talking to the judge and sits down next to Steve. She assures Steve that he can continue his case no matter what the verdict is. The judge asks if everyone is ready for the verdict. As the jury members take their places, words roll slowly over the screen. The words explain that this is the true story of Steve Harmon’s life and trial.

The screenplay conveys the verdict through a series of images, not words. The jury finds James King guilty. Two guards put handcuffs on King and lead him from the courtroom. A close-up of Steve’s mother shows her desperately clasping her hands together and then lifting up her hands and closing her eyes. The jury finds Steve Harmon not guilty. Steve turns toward O’Brien and opens his arms for a hug. However, O’Brien stiffens, picks up her papers from the table, and moves away, leaving Steve with his arms outstretched. The image gets grainy and blurred as the screenplay ends. Steve’s shape seems to take the form of a monster.

Summary: December, 5 months later

Five months later, in December, Steve is at home, writing in his notebook. He reports that James King has been sentenced to twenty-five years to life. Osvaldo Cruz is doing time in a reformatory for stealing a car. Bobo is still in jail. Steve makes films. His mother does not understand what he is doing. Sometimes Steve sets up his camera in front of a mirror and films his reflection from different angles. Steve’s younger brother Jerry likes helping make the movies. His mother is happy that Steve is at home and not in jail. After the trial, Steve’s father hugged him and cried, but now the distance between Steve and his father seems to be growing. Steve’s father is no longer sure who Steve is. Steve is not sure either. That is why he films himself. Steve thinks about how O’Brien turned away from him after they won the case. He wonders why she turned away. He asks himself, “What did she see?”

Analysis: Friday afternoon, July 17th and December, 5 months later

Steve’s notebook entry of July 17 shifts the story from the action of the trial back to Steve’s inner world. He is in a state of panic and unable to sleep. The fact that Steve no longer can think about his mother’s anguish but only his appeal shows how he has been dehumanized. Steve can no longer act like a loving son. Family relationships cannot matter to him. As Steve thinks about his appeal, he once again identifies himself with the inmates. He realizes that he is just like the other prisoners who keep appealing long after their cases are lost. Steve is also disturbed by Petrocelli’s comment that he made a “moral decision.” He can’t wrap his head around what she is referring to, suggesting that Steve has not yet reached full moral maturity. Yet as Steve revises his movie over and over, he decides to show himself behaving nobly, refusing to walk moral tightropes or deviate from the truth. He is creating an honorable identity for himself. Steve’s notes about the music reflect his awareness that his imagined ending is sentimental and does not reflect reality.

The action of the screenplay moves faster as the climax of the trial approaches. This creates tension for the reader. Only a few words are exchanged, and the exposition of the verdict uses no words at all. Because Steve’s screenplay simply shows King being handcuffed and led away while the guard moves away from Steve, the reader has to infer that King was found guilty and Steve was found not guilty. Steve’s decision not to include the words guilty and not guilty might indicate that he doesn’t truly believe those terms are quite true or adequate in this situation.

The final encounter between Steve and O’Brien is emotionally disturbing to the reader as well as to Steve. Steve expects a hug, but O’Brien stiffens and then turns away, leaving Steve standing alone with his arms outstretched. In his notes, Steve has written about feeling that O’Brien thinks he is guilty. Her rejection of his hug might imply that she does indeed think he took part in the crime. Steve’s description in the screenplay that the final image of him makes him look like “some strange beast, a monster” would support this conclusion. The final image reveals Steve as isolated and alienated after the trauma of his imprisonment and trial.

Steve’s sense of alienation and search for his true identity continues long after the jury declares him not guilty. Now that he is back home, he continues to make movies, but they are all about himself. As Steve aims his camera at his reflection in the mirror, he is using the camera to discover who he is. Steve’s final question, “What did she see?,” is his plea for help in understanding himself. Throughout the trial, Steve has shown a personal interest in O’Brien and begun to think of her as a friend. For weeks, she has been his main contact with the outside world. Therefore, O’Brien has come to represent all the people who are now looking at Steve and judging him. Steve is starting to realize that many people will always presume he is guilty, even though the verdict declared otherwise. O’Brien won her case, but Steve is left wondering if he is indeed a monster.

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