Psycho ~ The Violence and the

A detailed Summary of Psycho ~ The Violence and the

Violence and sexuality are usually the theme for action movies. In Hitchcock's Psycho, violence is brought out as a substitute for sexuality. Norman Bates uses violence to release his sexual frustration. Two clues in the movie to support such an idea are: taxidermy and the shower murder.

To most people, taxidermy is a hobby; in Norman's case, stuffing birds can be viewed as a sign of violence and sexuality. Hobbies are usually regarded as innocent activities of casual interest, designed to help pass the time. Stuffing birds in a way is a cruel treatment to animals for it involves killing and suffering. The Oxford English Dictionary defines taxidermy as "the act of preparing and preserving the skins of animals, and stuffing and mounting them so as to present the appearance, attitude, etc. of the living animal." Norman enjoys doing such thing in order to keep the creatures in his possession. People who like stuffing birds are not all necessary violent, or have the tendency that Norman does. Norman grows up in a single parent family His mother is a controlling and demanding woman who takes away his chance of socializing and disconnects him from society. Thus, we can imagine how little association Norman has had with

In conclusion, Hitchcock uses taxidermy to present the protagonist's hidden violence and further implicates that his violence is a substitute for sexuality. The abnormal relationship between violence and sexuality is suggested in both taxidermy and the shower murder. The extent of Norman's violent state of mind throughout the film is somehow seen from a close distance but yet unreachable. The violent protagonist is psychically possessed by a feminine personality which results in a permanent breakdown of masculinity. For one thing, Norman is intensely sympathetic, vulnerable and trapped by his devotion to his mother. He is very unbalanced and helpless. He is a likeable human being in an intolerable situation, desperately in need of help and protection.

women. Moreover, the mother's overprotection causes a permanent breakdown of masculinity for Norman. Norman's masculinity is replaced by a horrendous and power-obsessed femininity. Norman doesn't appreciate the way his mother treats him. The viewer sees his dissatisfaction from the argument Norman has with his mother when he invites Marion to the house for dinner. It is not the mother herself fighting with Norman. It is Norman impersonating the mother and imagining the way his mother would be treats him in such a case. Needless to say, Norman has built up his anger towards the mother over the years. His desire for a woman and his discontentedness towards his mother have to be released in some way. He chooses to stuff birds to express his dissatisfaction with his social life.

The shower murder is the primary sexual act displayed in the film. There are two significant questions in this well-known scene: what are Norman's murder motivations and why is the murder projected onto the mother side of Norman? Basically, the questions can be analyzed from the perspectives of Norman and the mother side of Norman. That means what Norman and the mother thinks of Marion and what threats does Marion pose to both sides of Norman are critical in order to explain Norman's violence substitute for sexuality. It can be argued that Norman murders Marion out of jealousy and because of the instability his masculinity. His sexual inability which hosted by the violent mother side makes him

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Approximate Word count = 1520
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Movies