Monster

Some of the prisoners Steve encounters note that the goals of the justice system—high conviction rates, the appearance of law and order—can conflict with the pursuit of the truth. Myers portrays the criminal justice system as an elaborate professional game where the courtroom is the playing field, the judge is the referee, the prosecutors and defense attorneys are players, and the jury is an audience vested with power. The figures with the least amount of power—those who are on the sidelines of the game—are the victim and the accused. In the case of Steve, as Sandra repeatedly warns him, the prosecutor knows she can convict him if she makes the jury perceive he is like the other defendant and the criminals she calls as witnesses.

Myers depicts this tension in several scenes. When the police arrive at the Harmons’ apartment to arrest Steve, they begin by pretending that they just want to ask some questions, then subvert due process by arresting and removing him without reading him his rights. At the precinct, they strive to coerce a confession from Steve by saying he has been named as a robber—and perhaps the shooter—of Mr. Nesbitt. Another prisoner laments that the prosecutor wanted to know why he did not tell the truth, which seems absurd to him since telling the truth would land him in prison for 10 years.

Steve recognizes the importance of telling the truth—especially to yourself—but he struggles to live up to his own standards. He journals at one point that those who were locked up were mostly likely there because they lied to themselves. He expresses his own concern that he might be engaging in similar self-deception, convincing himself into believing he is a good person. Moreover, his contradictions throughout the text serve as reminders to the reader that he is not a reliable narrator of his own story. Though the justice system in Monster prioritizes persuasive storytelling and conviction over objective fact, Steve is also unable to articulate the truth.