Skip to main content

In Monster, what reason does Steve allude to regarding why he might have participated in the robbery?

Steve mentions several times throughout the novel that he wanted to be tough like James King, Richard "Bobo" Evans, and Osvaldo Cruz. He alludes to the idea that bravado and being respected as a tough individual are why he chose to participate in the conspiracy to rob the store.


During one of the flashback scenes, Osvaldo Cruz makes fun of Steve by calling him a faggot. Another neighborhood boy mentions that Steve hangs out with some bad dudes. Osvaldo then says,



"He don’t hang with nobody. He’s just a lame looking for a name. Ain’t that right, Steve? Ain’t that right?" (Myers 86).



Osvaldo's comments upset Steve, and the reader acknowledges the fact that an attack on Steve's masculinity bothers him.


On Thursday, July 9th, James King is seated next to Steve before they enter the courtroom and attempts to scare Steve by giving him an intimidating look. Steve mentions,



"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" (Myers 101).



On Friday, July 10th, Steve is forced to mop the corridors with four other inmates. Steve mentions that the odor from the disinfectant starts to make him gag, and he tries his best to keep from vomiting. While he's mopping, Steve begins to think about what his attorney, Kathy O'Brien, told him about trying to make himself seem different in the eyes of the jury. Steve begins to think about being different from Bobo, Osvaldo, and King. He says,



"It was me, I thought as I tried not to throw up, that had wanted to be tough like them" (Myers 135).


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

etymology - Origin of the greeting "Sweet dreams".

Does anybody know the etymology of the phrase "sweet dreams"? I tried googling but did not find anything satisfying. Is this a relatively new phrase of the modern world or has this been in use for some time? I think it's the latter one. Answer The OED has the interjection as "a farewell to someone going to bed" from the 20th century: 1908 Sears Roebuck Catal. 198/1 Tenor Solos..Good Bye, Sweet Dreams, Good Bye. But it goes back until at least the 19th and possibly 18th centuries. John Wolcot, writing under the pseudonym of Peter Pindar, used it in his poem "Orson and Ellen; A Legendary Tale" published in 1801: Also from 1801 in The infernal Quixote (Page 287) by Charles Lucas: In the March 1776 of The Universal Magazine was published "The Serenade. A Pastoral Tale. From the German of Gesner" , where the shepherd Daphnis watches over his beloved as she sleeps and sings: The same tale appears in 1776's as Idyl XI, " Daphnis ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are the similarities between the relationships of the characters in The Outsiders and Romeo and Juliet?

At first glance, it might appear as if the characters in  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton and  Romeo and Juliet  by William Shakespeare do not have much in common; however, when one isolates the core of the conflicts, it becomes clear that the relationships in both stories are rooted in rivalry and secrecy.  In both  The Outsiders  and  Romeo and Juliet , an overarching theme is rivalry. While   socioeconomic status separates the greasers from the Socs in The Outsiders , last names separates the Montagues from the Capulets, who appear to be relatively equal in terms of socioeconomic status. Due to these rivalries, there are instances of deadly interactions in both stories. In  The Outsiders , Johnny kills Bob (whether his actions were justified or not is debatable). In  Romeo and Juliet , Romeo kills Tybalt and Paris, and Tybalt kills Mercutio. These deaths have profound effects on the main characters. In Ponyboy's case, the Johnny's death and other events in the novel inspire h...
Post a Comment
Read more