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The Third Tale
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 is in the headmistress’s office. She says she doesn’t know what to do or say to Conor: he put Harry in the hospital after breaking his arm, his nose, and several teeth. She explains that his parents are threatening to file charges against him, but Miss Kwan interjects to say that she explained Harry had been regularly bullying Conor.
The headmistress’s description of Harry’s extensive injuries shows just how “monstrous” Conor has become as a result of his own pain and anger.
Themes
Conor thinks about how he had felt what the monster was doing to Harry in his own hands—could feel Harry resisting as the monster twisted his arm. He remembered the other students running and screaming, and the monster repeating “never invisible again” over and over. When the monster was finished, it turned to Conor. “There are harder things than being invisible,” it said, and then vanished. And as Conor looked around, he understood that everyone could see him.
Again, the monster avoids a clear “lesson” for Conor, but highlights human complexity. Even though Harry might be the quintessential “bad guy,” what Conor did was also horrendous, and he quickly learns the negative ramifications of his actions.
Themes
The headmistress asks Conor what he has to say for himself. Conor says it wasn’t him—it was the monster who did it. Miss Kwan says that an entire dining hall saw Conor beat Harry and heard him yelling about being seen. Conor flexes his hands, and realizes how sore they are, like after the destruction of his grandmother’s sitting room.
Conor starts to understand and accept the fact that other people can’t see the monster, and that it might be simply a representation of his own distress. But regardless of whether the monster is real or not, part of growing up is that Conor has to take responsibility for the damage he has caused.
Themes
Miss Kwan says that she understands how angry Conor must be, but the school rules dictate that Conor should be expelled. Conor feels relieved that he is finally going to be punished, because “everything was going to make sense again.” But then the headmistress says that she could never expel him, given his current circumstances.
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Miss Kwan walks Conor back to class. Students in the halls back against the wall to let him pass. The students fall silent when he opens the classroom door. No one speaks to him for the rest of the day. Conor realizes the monster was right: there are worse things than being invisible. Conor is no longer invisible, but he is “further away than ever.”
