5/3/2023 0 Comments The id the monster within![]() When Conor wrecks his grandma's place and beats up Harry, he thinks the monster's with him: "And he felt the monster's voice again, like it was in his own head" (23.43). If it leaves behind physical objects, the monster must be real, right? And then there are the berries, and the tree growing out of the hole in the floor. We've got the leaves, which Conor sweeps into the trash: "He put another bite of cereal in his mouth, definitely not looking at the rubbish bin, where he had stuffed the plastic bag full of leaves he'd swept up this morning first thing" (2.15). One thing's for sure: this monster really needs to learn to clean up after itself. Let's take a look at the evidence for realness, namely the bits and pieces the monster leaves behind. But the yew tree monster is something else altogether, and Ness leaves it up to the reader to work out exactly what that something is. Is there really a monster, or is it all in Conor's head? Obviously the nightmare's just a nightmare, even though it's a horrible one-Conor always wakes up. Which is why, when it makes a nest for Conor, we're torn between saying, "ASo Is He Real, or What? At the very least, it's clear he's got a soft spot for our main man. Maybe the monster, too, is growing a little, learning to care. But we do think it's worth noting that while the monster let the prince and the farm girl sleep beneath its branches, it makes a nest to hold Conor. The monster hopes Conor will learn what he needs to learn by figuring it out for himself.īut is the monster just here to help Conor on his journey? Could it be possible for it to make a journey of its own? Since the monster remains a big mystery for much of the book, it's hard to make the call on this one. But if the monster looked Conor square in the eye and said, "your mother is going to die, and you should let her go," something tells us that the message wouldn't quite hit home. The monster's just here to give him a good nudge every now and then. See, Conor needs to figure all this out for himself. It is what you want from me" (5.23).įor crying out loud, buddy, could you be any more cryptic? Ah, but even the monster's riddles are kind at heart. It's not after its own agenda it just wants what's best for Conor: "It is not what I want from you, Conor. Basically, this creature will do whatever it takes to get Conor to face the truth.Īnd before you go thinking that this monster should mind its own beeswax, remember that when it comes down to it, it's a pretty selfless creature. It doesn't go easy on people-in fact, it's the only character who doesn't go easy on Conor. It's all about justice, but only when it comes with understanding. What's up with all this nonsense? What happened to the black hats getting their just desserts, and the white knights riding off into the sunset? Making Sense of Monster MadnessĪs much as the monster wants to help others, it also wants them to learn from their mistakes. And get this: the monster also lets the prince, who's the real murderer in this scenario, go on ruling his kingdom. ![]() I only said that the prince said it was so" (9.8). When he asks the monster how it could save a murderer, the monster says, "I never said she killed the farmer's daughter. After the monster tells Conor that it chose to save the queeny witch (or is it witchy queen?), Conor is straight up flabbergasted. For this guy, it's always opposite day in storytelling land, and his fables' morals often throw our poor Conor for a loop. This is a monster that wants to help humans, even if it sometimes does so in a really weird way.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |