Sherif Ahmed

SID: 900182897

Death and Madness in Psycho: How

May 22nd, 2023

FILM 3070, Jalal Toufic

The American University in Cairo

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What would you do if you had a dead mother living inside your head? This is the
horrifying dilemma that Alfred Hitchcock, one of the most influential and innovative
filmmakers of the 20th century, presented in his 1960 thriller film Psycho. Psycho is
considered one of his most famous and groundbreaking works; it shocked and fascinated
audiences with its daring plot twists, graphic violence, and complex characters. Known as
the “Master of Suspense”, Hitchcock created many films that explored themes of: crime,
guilt, paranoia, and psychological terror. Death is a constant and powerful theme in
Psycho, as it shapes the actions and motivations of both the protagonist and the
antagonist. Norman is obsessed with death in various forms: he killed his mother out of
jealousy and resentment; he practices taxidermy as a way of preserving life in a twisted
way; he fears his own death and the discovery of his secret. His victims are innocent
people who cross his path and trigger his murderous impulses. Hitchcock uses death as a
tool to shock the audience, to reveal the secrets of the characters, and to comment on the
moral and social issues of his time. In this paper, I will analyze how death and madness
are intertwined in Psycho, and how Norman Bates' mental disorder shapes his actions and
identity. I will examine how Hitchcock portrays Norman's symptoms and causes of DID
and how his mother influences his behavior and identity as well as his fear of death that
impulsively drives him to kill. I will also discuss how Hitchcock depicts the victims of
Norman's violence, and how their deaths affect the plot and the theme of the film. By
doing so, I will show how Psycho contributes to the understanding and representation of
DID as well as the psychological depth and horror of human nature through its complex
and iconic protagonist.

One of the main aspects that makes Norman Bates a fascinating and terrifying
character is his dissociative identity disorder (DID), a rare and controversial mental
disorder that involves the presence of two or more distinct personality states that
alternately control a person’s behavior. In this section, I will examine how Norman
displays the symptoms and causes of DID and how Hitchcock masterfully used various
cinematic techniques to enhance the portrayal of Norman’s DID and to create a sense of
horror and suspense for the audience. According to the American Psychiatric
Association, the symptoms of DID include memory loss, identity confusion, emotional
detachment, and impaired functioning (2013, p. 292). Norman exhibits all of these

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symptoms throughout the film. For instance, he does not remember killing Marion Crane
or Arbogast, the private detective who investigates her disappearance. He also switches
between his own personality and that of his mother, sometimes speaking and acting as if
he were her, even dressing up in her clothes and wig. Moreover, he does not express any
remorse or empathy for his victims, and seems indifferent to his own fate. He also has
difficulty maintaining a normal life, as he is isolated from society and spends most of his
time in his decaying house and motel. That being said, the causes of DID are not fully
understood, but it is often linked to severe childhood trauma, such as abuse, neglect, or
violence (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 293). Norman’s DID was triggered
by his trauma of losing his mother and killing her lover, whom he found in bed with her.
Unable to cope with his grief and guilt, Norman preserved his mother’s corpse and
created a second personality that embodied his mother’s voice and values. This
personality took over whenever Norman felt threatened or aroused by a woman, and
compelled him to kill her in order to protect his mother’s honor and purity. Norman’s
DID is a way of escaping from his unbearable reality that he killed his own mother and a
twisted way of maintaining a bond with his deceased mother, who was the only person he
ever loved. Hitchcock used various cinematic techniques, such as mirrors, lighting,
camera angles, sound and music, to convey Norman’s DID and to create a sense of horror
and suspense for the audience. For example: he used mirrors to reflect Norman’s split
personality and to foreshadow his crimes; he used lighting to contrast Norman’s normal
personality with his mother personality, using bright light for the former and dark
shadows for the latter; he used camera angles to show Norman’s point of view and to
create a sense of intimacy or distance with the characters; he used sound and music to
create tension and suspense, such as the screeching violins that accompany Norman’s
murders or the voice-over that reveals his inner thoughts at the end of the film. These
techniques helped Hitchcock to create a realistic and compelling depiction of Norman’s
DID and to make the audience feel both sympathy and fear for him.

In this section, I will analyze specific scenes that highlight the role of Norman’s
mother in shaping his normal personality and his mother personality and how the film
illustrates their dynamics and conflicts. Norman’s mother was a domineering and abusive
woman who isolated Norman from the outside world and made him dependent on her.

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She controlled every aspect of his life and did not allow him to have any friends or
romantic relationships. She was possessive of him and jealous of anyone who tried to
take him away from her. She instilled in him a sense of guilt, fear, and hatred towards
women and sexuality, as she considered them sinful and corrupting. She taught him that
“a boy’s best friend is his mother” and that he should always obey her. Norman’s normal
personality is submissive, timid, and polite, as a result of his mother’s influence. He loves
his mother but also resents her for ruining his life. He wants to be free from her but also
fears losing her. He is conflicted between his desire for intimacy and his fear of rejection.
Norman’s mother personality is the result of Norman’s internalization of his mother’s
voice and values. In “Two or Three Things I’m Dying to Tell You”, Jalal Toufic states:
“Norman’s weirdness is clear in his expectation that his dead mother’s unfinished
business will be respected, that his mother will keep her part of the implicit bargain from
beyond the grave.” (Toufic 2005, 7). This reflects how this masterpiece of a film reveals
and conceals the secrets of the dead and the living. The ‘mother’ dominates Norman’s
actions and thoughts whenever he feels attracted to or threatened by a woman, such as
Marion Crane or Lila Crane. Norman’s mother personality views these women as rivals
and enemies who want to seduce and betray Norman. She compels Norman to kill them
in order to protect him and herself from their influence. Norman’s mother personality
also berates and humiliates Norman for his weakness and cowardice, as well as for his
sexual impulses. Norman’s mother personality is the source of Norman’s violence and
misery, as well as his loyalty and devotion.

One scene that illustrates Norman’s mother personality and its influence on him is
the scene where Norman talks to Marion in the parlor; he reveals his mother’s attitude
towards women and sexuality. He says: “She just goes a little mad sometimes. We all go
a little mad sometimes. Haven’t you?” This shows how Norman rationalizes his mother’s
violence and how he identifies with her. He also shows some signs of attraction to
Marion, as he compliments her on her appearance and offers her some sandwiches.
However, he also shows some signs of fear, as he nervously glances at the house where
his mother is watching them. In another scene, Norman spies on Marion through a
peephole as she undresses in her room. He is aroused by her but also afraid of his
mother’s disapproval. He hears his mother’s voice in his head saying: “I’ll not have you

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bringing some young girl in for supper! By candlelight, I suppose, in the cheap, erotic
fashion of young men with cheap, erotic minds;” This shows how Norman’s mother
personality represses his sexuality and how he obeys her. He then leaves the peephole
and goes to the house to confront his mother.

One of the ways that Hitchcock portrays death and madness in Psycho is through
his use of sound. Toufic notes that “diegetic silence-over, which produces a dead stop and
reveals the occasional natural motionlessness of the living as merely a variety of
movement; and an unreality that sometimes behaves in a filmic manner” (Toufic 2003)
This is evident in the shower scene, the most famous scene of the film, where Marion
Crane is stabbed to death by Norman’s mother. The scene begins with the sound of
running water and Marion’s breathing, creating a sense of normalcy and relaxation.
However, when the killer appears behind the shower curtain the sound changes
dramatically. The sound of the knife slashing Marion’s flesh is accompanied by a high-
pitched screeching music that contrasts with the silence of Marion’s screams. The sound
of the knife and the music create a sense of terror and violence, while the silence of
Marion’s screams suggests her helplessness and isolation. The scene ends with a close-up
of Marion’s eye, which is still and lifeless. The sound of the water running over her body
creates a contrast between her motionless state and the movement of the water. The
sound of the water also echoes her blood that drains from the bathtub, symbolizing her
life that is washed away. He then cleans up the crime scene and disposes of her body and
belongings in a swamp. He looks shocked and confused by what he has done. He says:
“Mother! Oh God, Mother! Blood! Blood!” This shows how Norman’s mother
personality takes over when he feels threatened by a woman and how he kills her in order
to protect his mother and himself. He also shows some signs of remorse, as he covers his
mother’s portrait with a newspaper to hide her from the police. This legendary scene
shows how Hitchcock uses sound to create a dead stop that reveals Marion’s death and
Norman’s madness. In the final scene of the film, Lila discovers Norman’s mother’s
corpse in the basement and Norman attacks her while dressed as his mother. He tries to
stab her but Sam intervenes and subdues him. He then drops the knife and falls to the
floor. He says: “I’m Norma Bates.” This shows how Norman’s mother personality has

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completely taken over his identity and how he has lost touch with reality. He also shows
some signs of relief, as he smiles faintly while being taken away by the police.

In conclusion, Psycho is a film that explores the themes of death and madness in a
shocking and innovative way. By analyzing Norman Bates’ mental disorder and how it
shapes his actions and identity, I have revealed how death and madness are intertwined in
his character. By examining how Hitchcock uses death as a tool to shock the audience, to
reveal the secrets of the characters, and to comment on the moral and social issues of his
time, I have proved how death affects both Norman and his victims. By using Toufic’s
writings and teachings as reference and inspiration for my analysis, I have shown how
Psycho contributes to the understanding and representation of death and film. Psycho is a
film that challenges us to question our own perception of reality and our own relationship
with death. Therefore, it is a film that deserves our attention and appreciation.

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References:

I. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual

of mental disorders (5th ed.).

https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

II. Freud, S. (1919). The uncanny. In J. Strachey (Ed. & Trans.), The standard

edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 17, pp.

217–256). Hogarth Press. (Original work published 1919)

III. Toufic, J. (2005). Two or three things I’m dying to tell you. Post-Apollo

Press.

IV. Rebello, S. (2013). Alfred Hitchcock and the making of Psycho. Open Road

Media.

V. Smith, M., & Nannicelli, T. (Eds.). (2014). The Oxford handbook of cognitive

film theory. Oxford University Press.

VI. Wood, R. (1989). Hitchcock’s films revisited. Columbia University Press.