The Life Lessons About Self-perception in The Novel Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Walter Dean Myers, the author of the novel Monster, touches upon the life of a character named Steve Harmon living in Harlem, as he is on trial and teaches us life lessons of self–perception, peer pressure, and judgment. Steve Harmon deals with obstacles that have been thrown at him during his trial. At first, Steve goes through a questioning period where he questions if he is truly a monster and is a criminal like a prosecutor says he is. Steve handles the way people perceive him as a criminal by proving them wrong. Furthermore, Steve is dealing with the consequence of proving to his friends that he is a “tough guy”. He soon realizes that proving to your own friends that you are worthy by breaking the law is not worth it and needs to listen to his own instincts instead of trying to be others. Finally, Steve is proving to the jury that their judgment of Steve being guilty is wrong and that they need to listen to his side of the story first before judging. These are all good life lessons about self-perception, peer pressure, and judgment through the character Steve, and how all should use them in one's daily life.

Firstly, the novel provides good life lessons about self-perception by showing how what people think about themselves is powerful. Steve Harmon cares about what the jury thinks about him, but he does not want that to define him and who is he is. In his notes, he writes “Miss O’ Brien looked at me - I didn’t see her looking at me but I knew she was. She wanted to know who I was. Who was Steve Harmon? I wanted to open my shirt and tell her to look into my heart to see who the real Steve Harmon was”. In this case, Steve Harmon wants to be seen as a normal teenager, not some typical black-skinned criminal he is painted as in society. This shows there is more to him and his personality than other prisoners. Steve questions himself and his actions which help him understand himself better. When his father visits him in the prison, he writes, “I’ve never seen my father cry before. He wasn’t crying like I thought a man would. Everything was pouring out of him and I hated to see his face. What did I do? What did I do?”. This shows that Steve Harmon’s parents are really hurt to see their son in jail and that Steve is also hurt to see that he failed to achieve his parents’ expectations or that his parents assume that they raised their son poorly. Through these moments, the way Steve thinks about himself changes, and changes the way he sees himself and interacts with others in his life. These moments share the lesson of self-perception to readers.

Secondly, the novel provides good life lessons about peer pressure by tackling the notion that people should trust themselves instead of trying to please others. As a society people need to start finding their own judgment when personally making decisions without letting others think for them. The aftermath of someone other than oneself making a decision will likely have bad consequences or regret. In Steve’s diary, he states, “King curled his lips and narrowed his eyes. What is he going to do, scare me? All of a sudden, he looked funny. All the times I had looked at him and wanted to be tough like him and now I saw him sitting in handcuffs and trying to scare me”. This shows that Steve Harmon is realizing that being tough and being someone else will get one into breaking the law and maybe going to jail. As a citizen, people need to think first of their actions and how it will affect them individually so they can achieve their goals. Steve was pushed into a corner where he needed to either choose his friends or his future. The decision he made helped him understand that being someone who one is not taken away is what makes him Steve. When Steve writes in his movie, “All we need is a lookout. You know, check the place out – make sure ain’t no badges copping some z’s back. You down for it?”, it is clear that James King is a peer pressuring Steve to stick-up the store. But with a great turn of events, Steve used his instincts to know the negative consequences such as jail time because he chose not to stick-up the store with his friends and pleaded not guilty. Steve personally choosing not to go with his friends to stick up the store teaches people to use their instincts, be themselves, and not to give into peer pressure. The lesson of fighting against peer pressure and being true to oneself is clearly shown in the novel, Monster to readers.

Finally, the novel provides good life lessons about judgment by showing that the initial thought of an individual can be incorrect. People should avoid forming an opinion about someone or something based on what is seen on the surface because after taking a deeper look, the person or thing makes be very different than what was expected. Kathy O’Brien states, “Half of those jurors, no matter what they said when we questioned them when we picked the jury, believed you were guilty the moment they laid eyes on you. You’re young, Black and on trial, what else do they need to know”. This shows how one's appearance, race, and religion can influence how people approach and react to him or her. In this case, Steve Harmon is being falsely accused in a crime he didn’t commit because, in society, people judge others’ actions based on skin color. Kathy O’Brien says that, since she is experienced in criminal cases and although people think that about him, he is not guilty. In regards to race, it is brought up again when Steve’s mother asked if they should have contacted a Black lawyer because the people in the neighborhood thought that since Steve is black and his lawyer is white, it would have a negative effect on the case. Steve’s mom said, “Some of the people in the neighborhood said I should have contacted a Black lawyer,” and Steve responded, “I shook my head. It wasn’t a matter of race”. Steve is now realizing that it does not matter of whether the lawyer is black, white, or what their belief is because it is Steve’s power to prove to the jurors that he is different and deserves a second chance at life. By him proving himself, having hope, and disregarding his lawyer`s race as well as his own, he was found not guilty. The moment the jurors take a deeper look into who Steve really is sharing the lesson about judgment to readers.

In conclusion, the life lessons about self-perception, peer pressure, and judgment shared in the novel Monster by Walter Dean Myers should be used in one’s daily routine. Walter Dean Myers expresses in Monster that people should think for themselves, stop pleasing others, be oneself, and strive to make judgments that are free from discrimination. Walter Dean Myers tackles these lessons through Steve Harmon’s life and his experiences. Steve not only tackles these lessons for himself but also explains and shares how the mind is powerful, one’s decisions can lead into trouble, and how not to rely on assumptions. Going through this book and looking at Steve's perspective of life shows how scary the world actually can be when people have a negative perspective of themselves, choose to hang out with not so good of friends, and follow the discriminatory thoughts society influences them to believe in. This novel can teach people how to better handle similar problems and experiences in the future.