Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A Monster Calls, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Death, Denial, and Acceptance
Storytelling
Isolation
Family and Growing Up
Summary
Analysis
Conor’s grandmother, who has barely been speaking to him since the sitting room incident, drives him back to her house. After dropping Conor off, she then turns around and goes back to the hospital. At 12:07 a.m., the monster appears, and Conor asks if it can heal his mother. The monster says that if his mother can be healed, “the yew tree will do it.” Conor asks, “is that a yes?”
In contrast with Conor’s father, who essentially abandons Conor in his time of need and pushes more responsibility on him even as he claims it’s “unfair,” Conor’s grandmother is trying to lighten his load and works harder than ever to take care of the boy’s mother.
Themes
The monster leans forward, asking Conor, “you still do not know why you called me, do you?” Conor says that he didn’t call the monster, and if he did, it would be for his mother. The monster says that Conor is not yet ready to hear the third tale. And after the third tale, the monster says, Conor will tell his story.
The monster acknowledges that Conor doesn’t even realize that he needs to be healed because he is so busy trying to push away his own suffering.
Themes
A mist gathers around Conor and the monster, and Conor realizes that he is inside his nightmare. Conor begs to leave, and the mist recedes. Conor says that that’s not his story, it’s just a nightmare, and there are “more important things going on” than him telling a story. The monster says that stories can be “more important than anything. If they carry the truth.” The monster turns to go, and Conor asks what’s going to happen with his mother. The monster asks if Conor doesn’t already know what is going to happen.
The monster highlights two key things: first, in using the word truth, the monster suggests that Conor must acknowledge the truth of what he is feeling and experiencing. Second, the monster accuses Conor of already knowing what is going to happen. Given Conor’s stubborn denial, it seems that the monster is implying that Conor’s mother is, in fact, going to die, and that Conor knows this deep down. Indeed, Conor later reveals that he always knew his mother was going to die, but he just couldn’t bring himself to admit it.
Themes
