Monster: Symbols | SparkNotes

Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

Mirrors

In both the first and last scenes in the book, Steve Harmon looks at himself in a mirror, a symbol of self-reflection, identity, and alienation. In the opening scene, Steve does not recognize the face he sees. The opening mirror is also a reminder that the story is being told from Steve’s point of view. At the end of the book, Steve sets up his camera in front of the mirror and films his own reflections. Steve’s reflections and his identity have become more complex.

Basketball

When Steve Harmon first hears about the robbery, he is holding a basketball, a symbol of his ordinary life in the neighborhood. After Steve overhears two women talking about the murder, he walks quickly and then runs away without the basketball. The camera pans to the basketball lying in the gutter. The basketball is a clue to Steve’s guilt and a symbol of the life he will now have to leave behind. Later, during his trial, Steve tells the court that he knows James King and Osvaldo Cruz from the neighborhood but that they just talk about basketball. Playing basketball shows Steve to be an ordinary, carefree teenager.

Junk Food

Junk food stands for both the ordinary activities that go on while Steve Harmon struggles for his life and other people’s indifference to Steve’s fate. On the first day of Steve’s trial, he watches his guards eating breakfast from a take-out tray as they casually discuss his trial. Detective Karyl consumes a cheeseburger as he tells Steve that James King is claiming that Steve pulled the trigger. Junk food is an effective symbol because it suggests that Steve’s life is disposable. On the witness stand, Bobo Evans admits that he and James King had used some of the stolen money to buy food at a chicken place. Junk food becomes a symbol of their lack of conscience and disregard for human life.

Paper Cup Game

Kathy O’Brien prepares Steve for his appearance on the witness stand by playing a question game with a paper cup in which the cup stands for Steve’s answers. O’Brien turns the cup up if she likes the way Steve answers a question and down if she does not. O’Brien uses this method to make sure that she does not directly advise Steve to lie to the court. Instead, Steve learns to evade the questions or answer them in a way that does not incriminate him. The paper cup game, therefore, stands for stretching the truth.

Camera

The story ends with Steve Harmon holding a video camera, which stands for his identity as a filmmaker and his possible future career. The camera also represents Steve’s point of view. Five months after Steve’s not guilty verdict, he remains focused on himself. Steve’s main goal in using the camera is to discover who he is. The camera represents both Steve’s self-identity and the identity he wants others to see.

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