Character Relationship Map: A Monster Calls

Characters

• Conor (played by Lewis MacDougall) — protagonist

  12-year-old protagonist living with his grandmother while his mother undergoes chemotherapy. He is bullied at school, struggles with grief and hidden guilt, and forms a bond with a magical yew tree mo...

• Harry (played by James Melville) — supporting

  A schoolmate who regularly bullies Conor. He later tells Conor he will stop bothering him because he no longer sees him, which triggers Conor to angrily attack him, resulting in Harry being hospitaliz...

• The Monster (voice) (played by Liam Neeson) — minor

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Harry → The Monster (voice) (Narrative Story Subject) — Harry's words precede the Monster's third story, whose unseen man echoes the isolation described in Harry's remark.

  After Harry tells Conor that he will stop bothering him because he no longer sees him, the Monster tells a story about a man whom nobody sees and who...

• Conor → The Monster (voice) (Narrative Truth-Seeking Guide) — Through its stories and the forced confrontation with Conor's nightmare, the Monster guides him toward acknowledging his grief and guilt.

  The Monster tells Conor three stories and demands that Conor tell the truth of his nightmare. It eventually helps him admit that he both feared his mo...

• Conor → Harry (Conflict Bully And Victim) — Harry's bullying fuels Conor's anger; their conflict escalates into a physical attack after Harry's unsettling declaration.

  Harry regularly torments Conor at school. After Harry says he will stop because he no longer sees Conor, Conor attacks him and Harry is hospitalized.

Story Analysis

A grieving boy confronts the painful truth of his feelings through stories told by a yew tree Monster.

Plot Progression

1. The Boy and the Yew — Conor faces his mother's illness, school bullying, and a recurring nightmare. The yew tree becomes the Monster and sets the condition that Conor must eventually tell the truth.
2. Stories and Frustration — The Monster's first stories challenge simple ideas of good and evil. As Conor moves in with his grandmother and receives a disappointing visit from his father, his anger erupts into destruction.
3. Anger Meets the Truth — The hoped-for treatment does not remove Conor's fear, and his conflict with Harry ends in violence. With his mother's death approaching, the Monster forces Conor to face the nightmare he has avoided.
4. Grief and Understanding — Conor admits his conflicted wishes and the truth of the nightmare, and the Monster reassures him that these feelings are human. Conor and his grandmother reach an understanding, his mother dies, and h...