--The Monster, by Stephen Crane, uses the story of an African-American servant in a typical American town at the turn of the century (1898/1899) to ask some searching questions about race, class, ethics, compassion, and community. In one fateful moment, when he saves his employer’s son Jimmy from the fire, Henry Johnson becomes both a hero and a pariah—a social outcast that many residents of the town view with fear and loathing. Some characters in the book openly call for euthanasia. But do they want a “mercy killing” because Henry Johnson’s quality of life has declined so much, or do they want to merely repress, avoid, and conceal the larger social problems that the injured man has made difficult to ignore? A pariah can also be thought of as a scapegoat: someone who unfairly is forced to bear the sins of a larger community.

 --As you read, ask yourself: What does the presence of this man, now regarded as a “monster,” reveal about this town, which seems to be at least in part a stand in for America itself? When they view him as a “monster,” is it simply because he’s been so badly disfigured, or is just an extension of social prejudices that prevent everyone from being viewed as fully, equally, human?

 --You do not have to read the other two short stories in the Dover Edition I assigned. But you do have to watch the video lecture on the right before going to the forum. (This lecture is a bit shorter, at 35 minutes, and that's closer to the average length).

--Then check out the Forum assignment: Your initial Post is due on 11:55 PM on Tuesday May 24, Reply by 11:55 PM on Wednesday May 25.