Johans Murder Of Richard Braun
Iāve been wanting to write this for a long time, but didnāt have the energy to start it until now. This analysis might be obvious to some and unknown to others regardless, I want to get this all out and share it with you guys.
When Richard first meets Johan, he sees what everyone else sees when they look at Johan. They see a young college student who is more than happy to help out his community. But Richard trusts his intuition most likely to do with his experience of being a past investigator. Not paying attention to what other people say or what is on the surface but always focusing on what they feel is right, using that intuition to lead them to the answers theyāre looking for.
Although Mr. Jonesis has a usually keen eye for a person's nature, his emotions clouded his judgment, much like Richard's emotions about Jost clouded his judgment. Richard just beloving Jost to be a monster when he is a human being. and Mr. Jonesis believing his son a good moral man when he is a murderer.
Iād like to point out before I continue that both Johan and Richard have surface personas. What I mean by that is both characters have an outward disposition that they show to the world, an image that they want the world to see. This fault image hides who they really are, for Johan itās him being a nihilistic serial killer, and for Richard itās him being a murderer to someone who didnāt deserve to get murdered (Jost). I think this is the reason that Richard was so suspicious of Johan, since Richard knew not to trust appearances, and to go beyond the surface and find out someoneās real character. As Richard knows what people are capable of hiding, what heās capable of hiding.
On The Outside Both Seem Like Everyday Men, but this is a Lie....
Unfortunately for Richard though Johan is instantly able to pick up on this suspicion from Richard and thus the meat of their interactions begins!
Johan makes it all the way to Richardās apartment. I believe Johan had not called beforehand, instead wanting to catch Richard by surprise. If this is true then Johans plan worked great, as he was able to listen to Richard and his daughter phone call, and save that information for later. Richard is obviously stunned by Johans appearance at his door but decides to go for drinks at a bar with him to find out more on his plan with Schwald. (No doubt Johan choosing the āhangoutā spot for them).
Almost as soon as they reach the bar the conversation inevitably shifts to Richardās past, and the mistakes that followed as a result of Richardās poor decisions. Of course, Johan jumps on this change of topics to passive aggressively torment Richard on his murder of Jost. Johan knows Richard is very defensive of his murder stemming from his guilt of conscience on what heās done. Knowing Richardās guilt is what caused him to lie to everyone (and himself) about being Drunk on the night he shot Jost. Johan uses this knowledge on Richard to further decay his resolve on the āGood Copā image Richard has in his mind; by repeatedly reminding Richard of all the reasons he was unjust in his Murder. Notably mentioning Jost was a juvenile at the time of death, something Johan wouldnāt miss as he is (at least in his mind) a child advocate.
The final part of Johan and Richardās interactions is the Rooftop scene. One of many rooftop scenes in Monster, albeit a more remembered one, due to Johans manipulation of Richard. This would be the meat of the essay as thereās so many different things to discuss. The first portion of the conversation between Johan and Richard Iād like to talk about is the line that Johan says to Richard āHow weak mind when it wants to forget. Maybe you didnāt forget, maybe youāre lyingā. To me this line is something Johan says with malice, as Johan doesnāt like people denying their nature. We see this with Johanās interactions with Tenma, trying to get Tenma to accept the darkness in himself and the darkness around the world, clearly upset at Tenmas ādenialā of the truth. I believe Johan would want Richard to accept what heās done and accept his monstrous crimes. āYouāre guilty of murder. Do you think your lies can free you.ā āThat boys blood is on your hands. How are you going to look Rosemary in the eyes tomorrow? Isnāt her daddy a coward and a murderer, hiding behind an empty bottle.ā
These lines really struck me as so similar to Johanās own story. Johan was a murder from a young age and always his that gruesome fact from Anna by lying about what he had done to all the couples he had murdered, framing their death as something nondescript or accidental. In the end though Johanās lies couldnāt free him from his crimes, as the Liebertās blood was right outside the closet. And in the end Johan knows Richard wonāt be able to look Rosemary in the eyes because Johan wasnāt able to look Anna in the eyes when she confronted him about his crimes. On the night Johan got shot he believed himself to be nothing but a murderer and a coward himself as he wasnāt brave enough to be honest with Anna about what he thought was his nature. The Nature Of A Monster Capable Of Murder. So Johans words to Richard ring true for Johan knowing he too was once in the same predicament as Richard all those years ago. And Richard just like Johan will have to face the inevitable rejection of the ones who matter most to him, or he can end it right now to flare himself the pain. A pessimistic outlook and fear Johan plants in Richardās mind. An outlook sprung by Johans own experiences.
Notice how Johan can't look Anna in the eyes believing himself a monster worthy of death, something Johan wants Richard to accept aswell.
If you made it this far thank you for reading! Please credit and I hope you Enjoyed! PS: I think I might need a drink from Johan after writing this much....
Thank you to princessgarnetxvi on Tumbler and YouTube and to Leovoid on YouTube for both of your support in the Monster fandom! I got a lot of great insights into the Monster fandom from them! Insights that helped make this analysis possible!
