Two things influenced my reading of Psycho. First was the fact you can’t live in the world today and not know the key points to the Alfred Hitchcock movie. I’ve only watched the scene where Norman and Mary are talking and the room is full of his taxidermy work for a screenwriting class. But I still knew the story because it is ingrained in pop culture. The second is my reading of American Gothic I did for Non-Horror Reader Survey.
Overall, it the story was weak except for the glimpses we see of Norman’s psychosis. If you were to take the characters out besides him and replaced them with generic male and female characters of the late 1950′s. The story wouldn’t change much. What was interesting was the theme of progress through out the book. Now, I used progress instead of change for a good reason. Change would allow for a character to grow backwards in development. This never happens in the book. All the main characters start at a point and events in the story give them the possibility to grow, to evolve, to progress from there. Not much of that does happen–which is a common thread in the two Bloch novels I’ve read–and for more on that, I suggest taking a look at Chris Shearer’s post.
Starting right at the first chapter, we see Norman’s struggle with progress and stasis. Here he sits in a room that hasn’t changed, trying to improve himself through reading. While many will look at the book being about the Incas as away to introduce the voice of the dead as a foreshadowing of Norman’s mother, it is a book about the past that he relives vividly in his imagination. He is an element of the past and stasis whose influence expands even to the town of Fairvale.
Mary, when she comes in, is in a similar struggle. She is trying to escape the life she’s been in for the last nine years taking care of her family. And all the way up to the point that Norman’s influence starts, she begins to question whether this is the right thing to do. Once she reaches the motel and has dinner with Norman, that is when she decides to go back, to not progress. Because of that decision, Norman has to kill her because of her refusal of progress.
Sam is interesting because he gives the illusion of progression when really, his is just as stuck as Norman. He’s stuck in the back of his father’s shop, listening to classical music, never going out, creating relationships. He, like Norman, exist but don’t live. The only relationship he does have is Mary, but that happened away from Fairvale and never went further. Fairvale itself, is portrayed as never really changing, even with the new highway that came in. As the events of the book unfold, he is the one always urging to stay in place, not to rock the boat, not to be impetuous. The only thing that saved Sam’s life from Norman was that he accepted to progress on to the hotel with Lily. That choice too away the power of stasis that Norman controls. This is also the ultimate let down of the book, because that choice is not followed through at the resolution of the book.
Lily is the polar opposite to Norman as an element of progress. When we first meet here is when Sam mistakes her for Mary. From that kiss to her last scene with Sam, we watch Sam start to progress on to Lily as a relationship. She’s written as anxious and impatient, but curious and wondering. We constantly get her reactions to the small town that runs the same way on yesterday as it did three years ago. While she has knowledge of the past (i.e. naming the classical music and knowing the books on Norman’s selves) she isn’t tethered to them like Sam and Norman. It is only because of Lilly that the story progresses and why Norman is caught. It is also why Lily can end up with Sam, because her life is already to far along compared to him, especially since he ultimately doesn’t keep progressing.
We, as people, have a deep connection to the past. We wouldn’t have the word nostalgia if we were always looking to the future. We wouldn’t have pop culture trends repeat themselves in a cyclical pattern. While the story, on the surface, is lack luster, the theme of progress and the traps of stasis and the past are well-played out and thought-provoking.
I hadn’t thought of Mary’s death as a response to her lack of progress, but I can see that. Good observation, as I expect, since you aren’t a freshly salted slug.
I like to think I’ve earned my shell and am now a snail, haha.
This is why I love this class and I’m sorry glad I’ve found people I understand and who understand me. What great insight. I was disappointed that we didn’t get into Norman’s mind more as well.
I love this concept of progress especially when you separate it from change. That just opened up the book so much more which is amazing since it wasn’t that long to begin with. I’m always curious with who makes a person kill someone else and I had a hard time with Norman Bates just killing because his mother was with someone. But, putting in progress and while she was trying to progress and he was clearly stuck and refusing to progress, now I see a deep motivation for killing mother and boyfriend.
I agree with Chris as well, I obviously hadn’t thought of Mary’s death as a response to her lack of progress. Great insight and observations. Can’t wait for the rest of the class.
I have to be honest, I only made the realization about Mary as I wrote the post and went through her actions. I didn’t catch it as I read.
As far as not going enough into Norman’s head, I’m not sure you really could with that story. If you did, I think the twist of his mother being just in his mind would get revealed before it was meant to. Norman doesn’t do a whole lot so you have to make up situations that are important to the story as well just to have that time to be in his head. Otherwise, the reader is going to wonder why we are just in his head while he sits in a room, or on the toilet.
Great comments, Will. And I loved your conclusion at the end of the piece. It’s obvious that Norman is in a temporal feedback loop and hasn’t moved progressively with the rest of the world. Still, despite his psychological maladies, he’s intelligent and plans his moves very carefully.
Yeah, I think that is the thing that is creepier part of fictional psychos: you never come across one that stupid or sloppy. Even while they may be insane, they are lucid in their actions and covering them up.
Great observations. I was following you until you compared Norman and Sam as basically the same. There is a major difference between the two and I don’t mean mental illness. Norman is is a self-imposed prison out of weakness and delusion. Sam, on the other hand, is not in a self-imposed prison. He has goals and dreams he strives for. He has purpose. Norman does not. He and his mother’s voice constantly argue over his unwillingness to move on or to make a real go of the hotel. He is full of excuses. He is the victim. By contrast, Sam is in control. Some may say this splitting hairs as to what is a prison or not. The difference is attitude. What may be ground breaking about the book is Lila’s strength and courage. She is the risk taker. She is the hero. Very uncommon for the day.
I think I’d have to disagree with you on the self-imposed prison. Sam could have chosen bankruptcy and gotten rid of the store and used it to pay off the debts. He chose to exile himself to stay there and do nothing. He didn’t try to win the cruise where he met Mary, which about the only progress he made since taking over the story. While the reasons are different, both characters chose to stay where they are and limit progress in their lives.
I love how you discuss the “traps of stasis”. It is true that when we refuse to grow or progress, we can become mired in the muck of stillness. I especially like your comparison of Norman and Sam. They were both stuck in the same type of situation, bound by the legacies of their parents. Of course, Sam’s situation is likely viewed by many people as being more positive, because of the way it is presented. I, however, don’t think there is much difference in their lives, except that Sam isn’t killing folks. But both men are allowing themselves to not live full lives because of family obligation and guidelines inherited from their parents.
Very awesome. Thanks for sharing.
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