A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness is the captivating story about 13-year-old Conor O’Malley, who’s mother has cancer. This story is about how Conor refuses to face the truth and what extent people, places, things and even nature go to so that he is prepared for the reality of what is to come.
Both the Yew tree and the Abyss monster are used as representations of reality. While one helps him face his fears, the other helps him realise his fears. The Abyss monster is used as a metaphor for death, the awaiting death of Conor’s mother, that he refuses to face. The nightmare involving the Abyss monster, results in Conor starting to understand the reality of his mother’s cancer. He starts to realises it is a possibility she may not make it through …show more content…
So finally, he admits it: he could have held on to his mother for longer, but he let her go. He let her go both physically in the dream as well as emotionally in the real world. He let her go because it was all getting too much, he couldn’t stand waiting around, knowing she was going to go anyway, he just couldn’t take it any longer. So he let her go. The Yew tree monster is a focal point of the novel as it helps Conor to face reality and to understand the conflicting emotions of loving someone yet also wishing them gone, to stop the pain and agony their illness is …show more content…
Both monsters are portrayed as real, although they are actually made up in Conor’s mind. It seems as if even Conor himself thinks they are real and sees them before his own eyes. For example, when the Yew Tree monster begins to destroy the room in the dream, Conor joins in but it turns out that it was just Conor all along, and it was not in a dream, it was his grandmothers living room. This happens again when Conor sees the monster beating up Harry, but he is really doing it himself. The Abyss monster is another metaphoric part of Conor. It is the part of Conor that knows the real truth, and is scared of it. It is the small part of him that wants the rest of his body to face the truth, but the truth is continually pushed away by the bigger part of Conor’s mind. This is why the metaphoric Yew Tree comes in, to really make him face it. Ness chose a monster to represent the truth because monsters are generally associated with fear, and Conor is fearful of facing the reality of his mothers impending death. The technique of using a monster also adds another level of interest for the
Both the Yew tree and the Abyss monster are used as representations of reality. While one helps him face his fears, the other helps him realise his fears. The Abyss monster is used as a metaphor for death, the awaiting death of Conor’s mother, that he refuses to face. The nightmare involving the Abyss monster, results in Conor starting to understand the reality of his mother’s cancer. He starts to realises it is a possibility she may not make it through …show more content…
So finally, he admits it: he could have held on to his mother for longer, but he let her go. He let her go both physically in the dream as well as emotionally in the real world. He let her go because it was all getting too much, he couldn’t stand waiting around, knowing she was going to go anyway, he just couldn’t take it any longer. So he let her go. The Yew tree monster is a focal point of the novel as it helps Conor to face reality and to understand the conflicting emotions of loving someone yet also wishing them gone, to stop the pain and agony their illness is …show more content…
Both monsters are portrayed as real, although they are actually made up in Conor’s mind. It seems as if even Conor himself thinks they are real and sees them before his own eyes. For example, when the Yew Tree monster begins to destroy the room in the dream, Conor joins in but it turns out that it was just Conor all along, and it was not in a dream, it was his grandmothers living room. This happens again when Conor sees the monster beating up Harry, but he is really doing it himself. The Abyss monster is another metaphoric part of Conor. It is the part of Conor that knows the real truth, and is scared of it. It is the small part of him that wants the rest of his body to face the truth, but the truth is continually pushed away by the bigger part of Conor’s mind. This is why the metaphoric Yew Tree comes in, to really make him face it. Ness chose a monster to represent the truth because monsters are generally associated with fear, and Conor is fearful of facing the reality of his mothers impending death. The technique of using a monster also adds another level of interest for the