 The story is told from the point of view of a selectively omniscient narrator who seemingly chooses whether or not to divulge plot points as they occur , causing " a pattern of expectation " on the part of the reader . Although the novella is separated into 24 chapters , some critics — among them Charles B. Ives , Thomas Gullason and Marston LeFrance — believe these chapters are further divided into two parts : chapters 1 – 9 lead up to Henry 's injury , whereas chapters 10 – 24 map the town 's response . Critic David Halliburton wrote in his 1989 book The Color of the Sky : A Study of Stephen Crane that The Monster displayed a more " chastened " and exact style than Crane 's earlier works , which were often a mixture of clever bawdiness and epic dramatics — both of which are seen respectively in Maggie : A Girl of the Streets and The Red Badge of Courage . 
