The Monster in Releasing 10: How Lizzie Young’s Euphemism Reveals Trauma

What Is the Monster?

In Chloe Walsh’s Releasing 10, the term “the monster” functions as a concrete symbol: it is Lizzie Young’s private euphemism for her childhood abuser, Mark Allen. Lizzie never names Mark directly in her early narration; instead, she uses the word to encode an unspeakable reality. The monster first appears in a 1996 flashback (chapter 42), when eight-year-old Lizzie tries to pull down Hugh’s shorts to “fix him,” revealing she has been sexually abused by someone she secretly calls the monster. From that moment, the monster becomes the container for every memory of violation, terror, and shame that Lizzie cannot articulate aloud.

Where the Monster Appears and How Its Meaning Shifts

The monster recurs through Lizzie’s chapters across multiple time periods in the novel. Each recurrence deepens the symbol’s weight.

Childhood – The Monster as a Dream Figure

In the early flashbacks, Lizzie describes the monster as a supernatural creature appearing in darkness. In chapter 48 (January 1997), when Lizzie is nine, the monster “appeared from darkness in a cloud of smoke” with “glowing red eyes” and “sharp teeth.” The monster forces a contraceptive pill into her throat and threatens her with a “swollen belly.” At this stage, Lizzie tries to convince herself it is only a nightmare: “Wake up, Lizzie. Do it now!” The monster is still framed as a dream-like figure, which allows her mind to distance the abuse from reality.

Adolescence – The Monster as Psychological Torment

As Lizzie grows older, the monster begins to haunt her waking life. In chapter 66 (January 1999), she finds “claw marks” on her skin and cannot separate nightmare from waking assault. She wonders if she is “starting to like it,” a sign of the trauma’s grip on her psyche. By chapter 69 (February 1999), the monster has become an internal voice that echoes “Get down on your knees” and “Be a good girl and take your pill.” Lizzie now experiences the monster as a psychic intrusion, one that fuels her self-harm and suicidal ideation. The symbol shifts from an external predator to an internalized tormentor.

Revelation – The Monster Becomes a Real Person

The turning point arrives in chapter 95 (April 2000). Lizzie, hiding under her duvet, hears Caoimhe scream at Mark: “You’re a monster in disguise!” The word “monster” jolts Lizzie into recognition: “Mark was the monster.” In one instant, the symbol collapses into a real, named person. The euphemism is destroyed, but the horror is not—now Lizzie must confront that the monster was always her sister’s boyfriend, living in her home.

Later Timeline – The Monster as the Unkillable Past

Even after the revelation, the monster persists as a symbol of lingering trauma. In chapter 150 (September 2003), Mark attacks Lizzie on her own property, and she thinks of him as “the monster” throughout the assault. In chapter 151, she lies in bed clutching photos of herself as a child, knowing “the monster was swallowing me up in his belly again.” The symbol becomes a metaphor for the abuse that never fully leaves her body or mind. It also links to the “scary lady” (Mark’s mother), another figure who stalks Lizzie—the monster’s legacy spreads beyond one abuser.

Character and Theme Connections

• Lizzie Young: The monster is the central symbol of her trauma. It embodies the confusion, guilt, and dissociation she feels. She cannot say Mark’s name, so the monster becomes a shorthand for everything she cannot speak.
• Hugh Biggs: Hugh is the boy who tries to protect Lizzie but does not know the full truth until late in the story. He hears Lizzie’s “incoherent rambles about monsters” (chapter 119) and believes she is recalling something important. His inability to name the monster mirrors his helplessness.
• Caoimhe Young: Caoimhe is the one who finally names the monster aloud. Her scream “You’re a monster in disguise” (chapter 95) is the moment Lizzie’s secret cracks open. Caoimhe’s own death later becomes tied to the monster’s violence.
• Mark Allen: He is the literal monster, but the symbol distances him from human accountability. By calling him “the monster,” Lizzie preserves a psychological barrier that eventually shatters.

Thematic layers:

• Childhood sexual abuse and grooming: The monster symbol captures the predatory, incremental nature of Mark’s abuse—the way it hides in plain sight.
• Mental health and bipolar disorder: Lizzie’s diagnosis is complicated by the monster’s presence. She cannot always distinguish between flashbacks and hallucinations, and her family dismisses her claims as “madness” (chapter 42).
• Secrecy and gaslighting: The monster is a secret Lizzie carries for years. Her father’s denial, Caoimhe’s initial silence, and Mark’s threats all reinforce the symbol’s power.
• Grief and loss: Caoimhe’s death leaves Lizzie without the one person who named the monster. The symbol becomes tied to the grief of losing that witness.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Lizzie use the word “monster” instead of Mark’s name in her early narration?

Lizzie uses the word “monster” as a coping mechanism. As a child, it allows her to frame the abuse as a nightmare she can wake from. The euphemism also protects her from fully admitting that a trusted family member is the perpetrator. It keeps the horror at a symbolic distance until she is ready—or forced—to see the truth.

2. How does the meaning of the monster change between the 1996 treehouse scene (chapter 42) and the 2003 assault (chapter 150)?

In chapter 42, the monster is an unnamed, almost abstract threat that Lizzie cannot describe to Hugh. By chapter 150, the monster is a fully embodied person who speaks, threatens, and recalls specific past acts. The shift is from a vague, dreamlike predator to a concrete, terrorizing figure that Lizzie knows is real but still cannot name aloud during the assault.

3. What role does the “scary lady” play in expanding the monster symbol?

The “scary lady” (Mark’s mother) appears in chapter 122 and later chapters as a stalker figure. Lizzie feels she is always watching. This expands the monster symbol beyond a single abuser to a network of complicity and threat. The monster is not just Mark—it is the entire system of secrecy and fear that surrounds the abuse.

4. In chapter 118, Lizzie says “the monster’s gone, but I would never be free of him.” How does this line summarize the symbol’s lasting impact?

Even after Mark is out of her life (temporarily), Lizzie cannot shake the monster’s influence. His abuse has reshaped her desires, her sense of self, and her relationship with Hugh. The symbol remains as an internal scar. The line captures how the monster becomes a permanent psychological presence, not just a memory of a person.