Have you ever wondered how or why you may empathize with fictional characters, labeled antiheroes, created in the realms of TV and movies? The influence and appeal that these characters have on American culture and society are shaped through what each character symbolizes as well as values. In the 1960 thriller Psycho, the anti-hero Norman Bates was introduced to society. Norman, in this movie, is a middle-aged serial killer who justifies his wrongdoings by “becoming” his mother. In his eyes, it is actually his deceased mother Norma who is the murderer, not himself. Now, you might be wondering, how in the world would it be possible to empathize with a mentally ill serial killer? More recently, in 2013, the contemporary prequel Bates Motel made
…show more content…
The TV genre itself influences society’s view in the sense of an escape. The TV series Bates Motel is a getaway for society. The fact that we can see ourselves in the main character Norman is what influences society to empathize with him. It is implied that Norman’s mother’s emotional abuse towards him is what is responsible for his strange behavior. She raised Norman to believe that all women wanted was sex and that this was very sinful. Whenever any woman showed signs of interest in Norman or showed dislike towards his mother, Norma brainwashed her son into thinking their intentions were malicious. In Norman’s eyes, his mother was the only woman with moral intentions. Instead of seeing him as an evil person for killing people, he is seen as an antihero since he does these things out of the loyalty he has for his mother. In other words, his mental illness is to blame, not Norman himself. Although everyone has their dark sides, it is quite common for people to think of themselves as better than whatever their dark side be. This allows Americans to think of themselves as “good” people rather than letting one bad trait define who they are as a whole, which is exactly what we do with Norman. Like the majority of Americans, Norman is pretty average, creating a sense of appeal to viewers. The fact that he is just like anyone else allows Americans to identify with such a …show more content…
In both Psycho and Bates Motel, Norman is a relatively handsome man. He has no physical or visibly apparent features of which mark him as different from any other average male. In fact, he symbolizes the average, normal American. However, day-to-day, Norman fights internal battles, which differentiate him from his peers. Norman’s internal features, such as his personality and behavior, reinforce certain value assumptions and priorities. Perhaps his most prominent value is loyalty, to his mother Norma at least. It seems that the driving factor behind his actions, both good and bad, is his loyalty to Norma. Although this loyalty may be due to the fact that Norman was brainwashed into killing people, his actions are well intentioned, further prompting his antiheroic persona. Norman values this loyalty to his mother over morality because he ultimately kills people on his “mother’s” behalf. In the TV prequel Bates Motel, he is suffering from the beginning stages of dissociative personality disorder, which explains how and why he assumes his mother’s identity to further suppress any feelings of guilt whilst killing in the movie Psycho. Not only that, but he also values this loyalty over compassion and sensitivity towards the lives of those whom he harms. Clearly, Norman’s faults are hidden amongst his seemingly “normal” appearance. In Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon’s introduction to heroes and
The TV genre itself influences society’s view in the sense of an escape. The TV series Bates Motel is a getaway for society. The fact that we can see ourselves in the main character Norman is what influences society to empathize with him. It is implied that Norman’s mother’s emotional abuse towards him is what is responsible for his strange behavior. She raised Norman to believe that all women wanted was sex and that this was very sinful. Whenever any woman showed signs of interest in Norman or showed dislike towards his mother, Norma brainwashed her son into thinking their intentions were malicious. In Norman’s eyes, his mother was the only woman with moral intentions. Instead of seeing him as an evil person for killing people, he is seen as an antihero since he does these things out of the loyalty he has for his mother. In other words, his mental illness is to blame, not Norman himself. Although everyone has their dark sides, it is quite common for people to think of themselves as better than whatever their dark side be. This allows Americans to think of themselves as “good” people rather than letting one bad trait define who they are as a whole, which is exactly what we do with Norman. Like the majority of Americans, Norman is pretty average, creating a sense of appeal to viewers. The fact that he is just like anyone else allows Americans to identify with such a …show more content…
In both Psycho and Bates Motel, Norman is a relatively handsome man. He has no physical or visibly apparent features of which mark him as different from any other average male. In fact, he symbolizes the average, normal American. However, day-to-day, Norman fights internal battles, which differentiate him from his peers. Norman’s internal features, such as his personality and behavior, reinforce certain value assumptions and priorities. Perhaps his most prominent value is loyalty, to his mother Norma at least. It seems that the driving factor behind his actions, both good and bad, is his loyalty to Norma. Although this loyalty may be due to the fact that Norman was brainwashed into killing people, his actions are well intentioned, further prompting his antiheroic persona. Norman values this loyalty to his mother over morality because he ultimately kills people on his “mother’s” behalf. In the TV prequel Bates Motel, he is suffering from the beginning stages of dissociative personality disorder, which explains how and why he assumes his mother’s identity to further suppress any feelings of guilt whilst killing in the movie Psycho. Not only that, but he also values this loyalty over compassion and sensitivity towards the lives of those whom he harms. Clearly, Norman’s faults are hidden amongst his seemingly “normal” appearance. In Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon’s introduction to heroes and