The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street

Rod Sterling

Background Social StudiesThe Cold War, which began in 1947 with Stalin’s

refusal to accept the Marshall Plan, spawned anti-Communist feelings in the United States. The United States government, under the leadership of President Harry S. Truman, revitalized the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). The HUAC held many hearings in which several prominent Hollywood actors and directors were interrogated about their involvement with the Communist. In much the same way, Serling’s characters “blacklist” one another in “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street.”

Background

This screenplay was written during the Cold War, a period of intense rivalry between the United States and the Communist Soviet Union that lasted from the mid-1940s through the 1980s. The two countries engaged in a dangerous nuclear arms race. Fear led to suspicion, and many people were accused of being communist spies. Few of those accused were guilty.

CA Standards

Reading 3.2 Identify elements that advance the plot and determine how each event explains the past or present action(s) or foreshadowing future action(s).

Writing 2.5 Write summaries of reading materials

Language Conventions 1.2 Identify and use infinitives and participles and make clear references between pronouns and antecedents.

Literary AnalysisPlot is a the arrangement of events in a literary work.

This screenplay a drama written for television or the movies has all the elements of a conventional plot:

• Exposition: The situation is explained• Rising Action: Events move toward a high point• Conflict: A struggle develops between two

opposing forces• Climax: Event reach a turning point• Falling Action: The events following the climax

lead to the ending• Resolution: The outcome of the conflict is settled.

Focus Questions

Identify the details that set the plot in motion by asking yourself the following questions:

1. What makes the people fearful?

2. Why do they begin to suspect one another?

Connecting Literary ElementsThrough foreshadowing, an author hints at

upcoming events. A small event or comment may foreshadow an upcoming disaster. Look for hints in the beginning of the plan that indicate the kind of trouble to come. In the example, the look Steve exchanges with Charles hints at upcoming mysterious events.

Steve: It could be a meteor. A meteor couldn’t do this. (He and Charlie exchange a look, then they start to walk away from the group)

Reading StrategyPredicting:

An author’s use of foreshadowing gives hints on which readers can base predictions, or educated guesses, about where the story is headed. Base your predictions on clues that the author provides. Use a chart like the one shown to note the clues and your predictions, revising as you encounter new information.