What is The Beast

A beast is something evil that attacks its prey. It evokes fear. When a beast attacks its prey, the prey tries to get away. Most of the time it does not. Even when it does, it may still suffer from the scars of the attack. In the novel, the beast symbolizes John's mental illness. It rears its head when it wants and John has to fight it off. There are times, though, when it wins and he has to recuperate in the hospital or his own bed. At the end of his life, John decides to face his fears and the beast. Killing it, though, means killing himself as the beast is within him.