Family Man: The Power of the Uncanny
by Ty Moore
Family Man
He wakes up, kisses his wife, and crawls out of bed
Another weekend gone another Monday here
He stumbles into the bathroom and begins to shower
The only thing keeping him from sneaking back to bed is his kids
He must go to work for them
He starts his car and turns out of his driveway
Another commuter on his way to work
Working to keep his family alive and happy
As the cars speed down the highway
His hunger sets in and his stomach rumbles
He takes an exit and leaves the rest behind
He turns into a calm, quiet neighborhood
He pulls into the first driveway he sees
Quietly he gets out and strides to the front door
In the back of his head he can hear his kids
Asking, “Daddy, when’s dinner?”
His instincts kick in and he is determined
Determined to provide for his family
To bring home food for them to eat
He knocks on the door and it opens
A little girl answers it
He reaches into his coat pocket
And pulls out his knife
To him, she is nothing more than a meal
After satisfying his own hunger he goes to work
House by house he does the same
Providing for his family
In the construction of my poem, I incorporated many literary techniques to increase the horror and reality of the poem. A strong connection is developed between the reader and the monster which helps the reader understand the monster. A strong emotional connection is important in creating horror because only then can the horrors of the poem be experienced. The uncanny reminders in the poem build suspense and disgust in the reader, which ultimately lead to the acknowledgement that the reader sees himself in the monster. The relationship between the reader and the monster is crucial in the development of horror in the poem.
Creating similarity and a sense of relation between the reader and the monster
is critical in the effectiveness of the monster and poem as a whole. Kathi
Maio writes that in the best horror literature and art “we actually
feel empathy for, and identification with the demon”(72). In the poem,
the monster is set up as a normal man going about the Monday morning routine.
The monster is, “another commuter on his way to work”(Line 7).
It is easy for the reader to “become the monster”(Maio 72) because
everyone goes through the same feelings the monster felt about going to work.
The reader sees himself in the monster and a connection is made between the
two within the first few lines of the poem. The monster’s desire to
stay home with his family, but his understanding that he must go for the well-being
of his family is felt by everyone. This is the first tool used in the poem
to create compassion and a feeling of similarity for the monster.
The mentioning of the monster’s children and his love
for them adds another element of compassion and understanding of the monster.
So far in the poem, it is not clear that the monster is in fact a monster.
That is only revealed in the last few lines of the poem. The monstrosity of
the man is not shown until late in the poem to develop the human qualities
of the monster and to add another level to the poem and to the monster. Alain
Renoir says that, “a killing visualized from the killer’s point
of view will have a very different emotional effect than the same killing
visualized from the victim’s point of view, even if we disapprove of
the action in both cases”(156). By developing the human characteristics
of the monster in the beginning of the poem, the horrific twist at the end
becomes more graphic and surprising to the reader. At the end of the poem
the reader is left with a feeling of disgust that the monster and his family
eat humans, but at the same time they feel sympathy for the monster because
of the connection developed earlier in the poem. The monster is not killing
for pleasure or terror, he is killing for survival. Not only is it his survival,
but also the survival of his wife and children. The reader understands this
and it is this aspect that makes the reader uneasy about the poem. Not only
is the reader disgusted by the murder of innocent humans, but also disgusted
with himself for feeling that the monster is right in killing for survival.
By developing the familiarity of the monster, the reader’s uneasy feelings
about his own thoughts add another horrifying dimension to the poem.
In order to keep the reality and horror of the poem continuing
throughout the entire poem, Noel Carroll argues that, “ideally, the
emotive responses of the audience run parallel to the emotions of characters”(52).
In other words, the attitude and feelings of the monster dictate the attitude
and feelings of the reader. By making the murder of innocent people part of
the monster’s routine, the reader accepts that the killings are routine
and natural as well. The reader then sees the hideousness of the monster’s
view of his victims as “nothing more than a meal”(line 24) and
immediately repulses the monster, but then the reader is drawn back towards
the monster. The parallel emotions created by the poem make the reader reconsider
the monster’s actions.
At this point, the reader has developed sympathy and understanding
towards the monster. The uncanny feeling of the reader not only questions
the monster’s act, but also the reader’s own feelings towards
the monster. This is the true horror created by the poem. The reader begins
to question their own morals and identity. Sigmund Freud refers to this feeling
in his writings. He writes, “the subject identifies himself with someone
else, so that he is in doubt as to which his self is, or substitutes the extraneous
self for his own”(Freud 210). The reader shudders when it is realized
that the monster resembles the reader in a way. The uncertainty of whether
or not the reader is capable himself of performing these deeds adds fear and
terror to the poem. This also opens up the possibility that this monster could
be next door. If the reader sees himself in the monster he is lead to believe
that everyone else can relate and perhaps have the same capabilities of the
monster as well. The poem places the reader in direct danger of the monster
and his terror.
In the movie Hannibal, the danger of the monster living next
door and on the prowl is depicted brilliantly. Clarice is haunted by the fact
that Hannibal Lector is “out there” somewhere searching for his
next victim. She knows that Hannibal has the upper hand and that she can only
wait and fight for her life if Hannibal does come to kill and eat her. Knowing
that one is in danger and knowing that one is helpless is an unparalleled
fear. Throughout the movie, however, Clarice grows closer to Hannibal. In
fact, she becomes sympathetic towards Hannibal and lets him escape when she
has an opportunity to capture him. She allows his escape because she began
to understand Hannibal. Following Maio’s argument, Clarice is drawn
to Hannibal and sees her own desire for love, life and survival in Hannibal.
In the end, Clarice is left with mixed feelings about Hannibal; wondering
if he is the monster he is made out to be.
The familiarity of the monster to the reader is essential in
creating a terrifying and effective poem. The reader must feel involved in
the action and be able to relate to the monster’s emotions. The reader
must in fact become the monster in order for the poem to fully grasp the reader’s
attention and thoughts. When this is achieved, a truly horrific experience
is the result. My poem does an effective job of creating a relationship between
the reader and the monster. By relating the monster to something that everyone
can relate to, work, the poem is able to grasp the reader and draw him into
the action of the poem. Once the reader is fully taken in by the poem, the
reader truly does become the monster.
Works Cited
Carroll, Noel. "The Nature of Horror." The Journal of Aesthetics
and Art Criticism 46.1 (1987): 51.
Freud, Sigmund. Writings on Art and Literature. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1997.
Hannibal. Dir. Ridley Scott. Perf. Anthony Hopkins, Julianne Moore, Giancarlo Giannini, Gary Oldman, and Ray Liotta. MGM Studios, 2001.
Maio, Kathi. "The Soul (or Lack Thereof) of the New Monster." Fantasy & Science Fiction 96.6 : 71.
Renoir, Alain. "Point of View and Design for Terror in Beowulf." The Beowulf Poet: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. Donald Fry. Englewood Cliffs: N.J., Prentice-Hall, 1968. 154
Schneider, Steven. Monsters as (Uncanny) Metaphors: Freud, Lakoff, and the Representation of Monstrosity in Cinematic Horror. January 1999 November 21, 2003. <http://www.othervoices.org/1.3/sscheider/monsters/html>
