The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street Theme
Storyboard Text
- One major theme of "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" by Rod Sterling is that fear and suspicion are destructive. For example, Les Goodman says, "Wait a minute now. You keep your distance-all of you. So I've got a car that starts by itself-well, that's a freak thing, I admit it. But does that make me some kind of criminal or something? I don't know why the car works-it just does!" (Page 76). He says this because the residents are advancing on him and are suspicious of why his car starts on its own and nothing else does. This shows how people can be afraid and suspicious which ends up leading to people pointing fingers without thinking the situation at hand logically and makes the problem worse. In addition, Charlie says, "Look buddy, you can't afford to-."Steve cuts him off and responds, "...Charlie don't tell me what I can't afford! And stop telling me who's dangerous and who isn't and who's safe and who's a menace...And your with him, too-all of you! You're standing here all to crucify-all set to find a scapegoat- all desperate to point some kind of a finger at a neighbor! Well now look, friends, the only thing that's gonna happen is that we'll eat each other up alive-" (Page 82). He says this because he is mad that everyone is blaming each other which demonstrates how fear can compel people to blame one another as victims; making everyone end up scared and also escalates the situation. Later, Charlie says,"No more talk, Steve. You're going to talk us into a grave! You'd let whatever's out there walk right over to us, wouldn't yuh? Well, some of us won't!" (Page 82). Charlie ends up grabbing the gun from Steve and shoots it at Pete Van Horn, his neighbor. This higlights how when people are afraid they will do things that are not throughly thought through and makes the situation more destructive. To summarize, an important theme in "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" is fear and suspicion can be destructive because it conveys the idea about how the residents of Maple Street go through frienships getting broken, people being afraid, and people getting hurt .
- The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street Theme: Fear and suspicion are destructive.
- I don't know why the car works!
- It's you!
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