Monster: The Autobiography of an L. A. Gang Member, by Sanyika Shakur (aka Monster Kody Scott), tells the life story of a young black man who lived the life of a gangbanger from the ages of eleven to twenty seven. His story starts with living the life of a gangbanger and ends with a transformation to a member of the New African Independence Movement. Monster Kody, or more accurately referred to as "Monsta," repeatedly commits acts of brutality and violence, mainly against his territorial enemies. Sets are referred to as subsets of larger gangs such as the Crips and the Bloods. For example, Kody's gang, the "Eight Trays" are Crips and they are enemies to the "Rollin Sixties" Crips. In order to be initiated into the "set," "The Eight Trays," Kody is beaten up by members of the gang he desires to be in, which was referred to as being "courted in." (Shakur 9) Then Kody was given a 12-gauge shotgun with pump action, in which he committed his first murder against a rival "set." This was considered a weapon of power and danger, and it required nerve. Kody took to the violence of the gang because he saw it as a step from childhood to manhood, and also as a way to build a reputati

In conclusion, Monster Kody Scott's delinquent behavior can be explained thoroughly by relating it to Reckless' Containment Theory. Many factors can be seen as contributing to his behavior, not just the mere fact that he was in a gang. The question is, "Why did he join the gang in the first place?" Many underlying factors led to his behavior, either externally or internally. Since Monster Kody Scott's inner and outer containment were weak, this can be an explanation for his delinquent behavior and why he committed crime. He was also faced with many pushes and pulls that contributed to his behavior, and delinquency appeared to Kody as being the best solution to the problems that he was faced to deal with.

There are many external "pulls" that could explain the behavior of Kody as well. The first and foremost pull is the very fact that Kody joined a gang, and therefore becomes friends with the people within the gang, who can mainly be considered bad companions. He considered these people his "family," calling them "cuz." This gang is where all of his criminal activity stems from. The main focal concern of this gang centers around killing people and selling drugs. Kody does drugs with his fellow gang members, and almost all of his time is spent with the people in the gang. Kody also has family problems, and that could be a reason for his delinquent behavior. "My father and I never got along and I couldn't overstand why he mistreated me." (Shakur 4) From the start of the book it can be seen that Kody did not have a good life. He lacked the love and support that he yearned for, so the only solution that he could think of to help him was to join a gang. Kody says about his mother, "We had grown so far apart that if I were dying I wouldn't have called her. Mom was the enemy at home." (Shakur 168) His brother Kerwin used to bully him as well. Another "pull" that Kody is faced with is his lack of opportunities. He thought of being in a gang as having a career, somewhere where he could succeed and gain the prestige that he longed for. He cared very little about his education because he felt that it would serve no purpose to him. Working was not an option for a gangbanger. "You either jacked for money or you sold dope. Working was considered weak." (Shakur 251) Discrimination also existed in Kody's neighborhood as well. The cops were referred to as "pigs" because they seemed to not care about the lower class youth, and therefore they were despised. Kody's bad living conditions could be considered another "pull." He lived in a poverty-ridden city in Los Angeles, and therefore he believed that he had little opportunity to succeed. He was exposed to the gang life ever since he was a child, and he basically looked up to the people in the gang for their "accomplishments." Illegal activities helped him to deal with this and try to achieve his goals through illegitimate means.

Walter Reckless' Containment Theory can be used to explain the behavior of Monster Kody. Kody could be looked at as ha

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Approximate Word count = 2063
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)