Final answer:
Monster by Walter Dean Myers and The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe both explore the themes of truth, reality, and perception, leveraging Realistic or Naturalistic fiction elements. While Monster challenges the reader's perception of the protagonist and the legal system, The Tell-Tale Heart delves into the unreliable narrator's distorted reality. Both narratives prompt reader-response criticism and the notion of characters wearing 'masks' to hide their true selves.
Step-by-step explanation:
When comparing Monster by Walter Dean Myers with Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart, we explore how each text develops the concept of truth and the interplay between truth, reality, and perception. Reality and perception are significant themes in Monster, where the protagonist's film script format and journal entries blur the lines between his reality and the way he wants others to see him, leaving readers to discern the truth.
In contrast, The Tell-Tale Heart presents a narrator whose grasp on reality is questionable, challenging the truth of his recounted events. Truth and guilt are central, showcased by the narrator's insistence on his sanity despite his clear madness and the auditory hallucination of the beating heart. Both texts demonstrate Realistic or Naturalistic fiction by depicting psychological struggles and societal pressures.
In Monster, Steve Harmon's trial for murder serves as the foreground for exploring deeper issues of identity and the influence of societal perception on one's truth. The narrative prompts a reader-response criticism, engaging readers to question their own prejudices and the justice system while determining their interpretation of Steve's innocence or guilt. Notably, characters in both stories wear metaphorical "masks," concealing their true natures or intentions, which adds to the complexity of discerning truth. The examination of truth in these works invites reflection on how individuals and society define and interpret reality.