12/14/14
A Monster Calls,
by Patrick Ness, is about a young boy, named Connor, whose mother is struggling
with terminal cancer. A monster, unlike the one in his nightmare where his
mother is taken by the monster that seems to be made of pure terror, comes to
help him through his troubles. This monster is made of a yew tree, just like
the tree in his backyard. The tree monster tells him stories every night about
situations the tree went through in the past and how he, the tree, that is,
handled them. The monster makes Connor tell his own story, too, consisting of
Connor’s truth. Justice is served in this book, but not necessarily how most
thought it would be, and not for who seems to be in need of it most. Justice is
served for Connor, by the monster, by helping him uncover his own truth. Once
Connor realizes his truth, and the true cause of his suffering, as well as his
mother’s, he understands why he must let his mother go, no matter how much
initial pain it causes them both.
Justice
is served in A Monster Calls. This is done by the Monster who helps
Connor. The Cancer is what is upsetting the balance of justice. The Cancer
enters Connor’s mother’s life, changing it forever - changing her and her son. Connor
realizes that his truth is, with help of the monster, that he doesn’t want to
see his mother suffer anymore. Every day he wakes up and sees how frail and
tired she looks, even though she isn’t even close to an elderly age. For
example, Connor repeatedly thinks how, “exposed and soft” he head looks without
her scarf covering it, implying that almost whenever he sees her, it hurts him.
Ness, the author, also shows how all of this hurts his mother. He mentions how
it hurts her every day, knowing she won’t be around much longer for her son.
Justice
could have been served in another way, if that was possible. The point of
serving Justice, is to make things right and the way they should be, and to end
undeserved suffering. This could have been done by curing Connor’s mother’s
cancer. Then, things would have been back to the way they were before the
terminal cancer struck, and there wouldn’t be the agony every day for Connor
and his mother, of watching a loved one suffer. But, realistically, this could
not have happened. As of now, there is no cure for terminal cancer - only a
treatment that may work for a fleeting moment – so how would a Yew tree be able
to save someone? The only way to serve justice, in this case, was to end the
source of suffering and move on.
Connor’s
truth, as he soon learns, is that he suffers because his mother suffers –
because it hurts him to see her suffer. He knows she’s going to, eventually,
die, and she knows it too, but he doesn’t know when, and neither does she. He realizes
he just wants to get it over with, no matter how dark that may seem. As much as
he doesn’t want her to die, he accepts that she will, and that is what he, the
monster, is looking for as his truth, in order for justice to be served. The
monster walks to help Connor, but in reality, it’s only Connor’s imagination
helping himself, when no one else will.
