Helen G. Scott Prize for an English First-Year Seminar Paper
An excerpt from “Apologizing for Others: Building Sympathy and Culpability in Psycho“
The tension-filled pause in the sinking of Marion’s car is both the culmination of Hitchcock’s previous work to make viewers empathize with Norman, and a moment that further enhances our complicity in his crime because at that moment we want the car to sink as much as Norman does. This white-knuckler moment when the car stops sinking for a few seconds puts us on the absolute edge of our seats, stressed over the chance that Norman may be unable to pull off the cover-up. The entire moment is completely silent as the camera cuts from Norman’s point of view shot of the half-sunken car to a low angle closeup of Norman’s face as he clenches and unclenches his jaw and then looks around as if trying to make sure no one is watching him. Norman is visibly nervous, and at that moment so are we, the tension he is showing in his body also showing up in our own bodies as we wait for what happens next. It is in this moment we are completely complicit in his crime, sharing his worries right alongside him. With this moment, Hitchcock cements our investment in Norman and the success of his schemes.