Lessons In Flannery O Connor's A Monster Calls

In the novel, A Monster Calls, the main character, Connor, shows readers a different aspect of how to be brave, act with agency, and understand the importance of telling the truth. The suspense that the book ensued and the way in which the author denied trying to teach a lesson, ultimately showed the importance of actions being more important than simply thoughts of good actions. Also, as I was reading, I connected discussions from class to topics discussed in the book, such as the sense of agency, defamiliarization, and the idea that novels should not be based upon lessons due to them pushing the reader away instead of encouraging them to read. This novel urged readers to use their own imagination and form their own opinions that the author
tried, and ultimately succeeded, to create in this book.
First, I enjoyed how this book encouraged readers to use their imagination about what happens and form their own opinions about the plot. For example, the author never revealed whether or not Connor was dreaming when the monster came at 12:07. He allowed the reader to develop their own idea about what happened. Also, the first three tales that the Yew Tree Monster tells were somewhat contradictory to what the reader would think. For example, when reading a story about a king finding his queen and running away with her, it is usually not implied that he would kill her in order to take the throne. In Connor’s dream in the book, though, he wanted his mom dead so that he could live a normal life instead of being lonely and judged as though he has a disease. This contradicts what the reader would expect to happen and allows them to form their own opinion about the plot twist.
Second, another aspect of the book, A Monster Calls, is that caught my attention, was although the beginning of the story was uneventful, it eventually tied into multiple discussions that we had in class.
For example, Connor asked the monster what the “lesson” of this story was. The monster replied, “You think I tell you stories to teach lessons? You think I have come walking out of time and earth itself to teach you a lesson in niceness?” (63). This statement correlated with a conversation from class about how novels and stories should not always teach lessons, for that can actually deter the reader from wanting to read. Instead, though, the monster was persuading Connor to reach a conclusion himself about the rightness of his actions instead of directly telling him what to do. Connor was able to think about how his thoughts meant nothing unless he acted upon them. However, the interesting aspect is that Connor thought the monster was supposed to be teaching him a lesson just because he was telling him a
story. Third, another interesting idea that Patrick Ness addressed in the novel was the concept of defamiliarization, specifically involving Connor and his dad. The specific incident was when Connor’s dad came back from America to visit him and Connor’s perspective was, “There was his father, looking totally different but exactly the same” (85). This represents the concept of defamiliarization because of how Connor knew who his father was, but, due to not seeing him for a long period of time, thought of his dad as someone familiar but also completely different at the same time. This novel allowed me to correlate aspects proposed in the book to different discussions that we have had in class.
Finally, “Stories don’t always have happy endings” (134.) I really clung to this quote in the book because after finishing the book my heart was so sad. I wanted to wish that Connors mom would not have died. I wanted this story to have the happy ending that usually what children literature novel end like. But even though this novel ended very sad, it was still an outstanding book. The novel showed the Connors agency, and willingness to be brave.
In conclusion, in the novel, A Monster Calls, the main character, Connor, shows readers a different aspect of how to be brave, act with agency, and understand the importance of telling the truth.
Connor showed agency by striving to tell the truth and having the determination to figure out why the Yew Tree Monster continued visiting him. He showed bravery by being strong and understanding that sometimes holding on to your emotions is the best way to grieve and let go. Finally, Connor learned to tell the truth when sometimes he could not believe the harsh truth that he knew. These concepts can connect with various types of readers and encourage them to explore new ways of thinking, develop different ways of using their imagination, and create a sense of growth for every reader’s future. The connections that I made with the novel and the discussions from class, such as defamiliarization with Connor’s father, ultimately made this novel interesting and relevant to aspects of children’s
literature.