A Monster Calls Versions of Reality Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

But what is a dream, Conor O'Malley? The monster said, bending down so its face was close to Conor's. Who is to say that it is not everything else that is a dream? (5.21)

Welcome to The Matrix. Will Conor take the red pill or the blue? If he's dreaming it all, that explains the yew tree monster—it's just like the pit monster, another figment of his imagination The problem is, the pit monster doesn't leave no stinkin' berries behind to confuse the situation.

Quote #5

Stories are the wildest things of all, the monster rumbled. Stories chase and bite and hunt. (5.53)

How can a story "chase and bite and hunt?" Well, all we need to do to answer that question is take look at Conor's dream. It's chasing him down in his sleep (chase), it wants to yank his mom down into a pit (bite), and it won't stop until it gets her (hunt). That's Conor's story. That's the truth the monster wants.

Quote #6

You think I tell you stories to teach you lessons? the monster said. You think I have come walking out of time and earth itself to teach you a lesson in niceness? (9.28)

There's that dark humor again, and we've got an example of turning the expected moral on its head, to boot. The monster's sarcasm mirrors Conor's own, making them worthy foils.