Department of English

Many continue to acknowledge Norman Bates as a creation of acclaimed director Alfred Hitchcock, featured in the blockbuster film Psycho (1960). Scholars attribute the narrative and the characterization of Norman to Hitchcock but fail to acknowledge Psycho’s true author, Robert Bloch. Failing to recognize Bloch’s novel offers a problem, as most studies of the narrative pertain to Hitchcock’s film. This thesis traces the development of the Norman Bates character through different interpretations beginning with Robert Bloch’s novel. The study aims to understand why his character becomes younger as time progresses. The research adopts a psychoanalytic approach as well as behavior studies. Theories include Freud’s concepts of the Oedipal complex, with commentaries by known film critics such as Slavoj Žižek. By dissecting Norman’s into three main personalities – the son, the mother, and the adult – Norman can be carefully examined and provide information on elements of identity, violence, and fear. Besides Bloch’s book and Hitchcock’s film, other primary sources include Gus Van Sant’s frame-byframe remake and Bates Motel television series. This thesis challenges the argument that the complexity of Norman Bates does not define as a monster, but a victim. The research concludes that the fear of the psychopath does not remain in their violent nature, but in the idea that they are able to live quietly amidst society, undetected, and can only exist inside the human mind.