In Monster, a psychological thriller starring Charlize Theron, the audience witnesses the life of serial killer Aileen Wuornos. Based on a true story, the film covers the killing spree of Wuornos in Florida. In cathartic fashion, the film captures the starkness of Wuornos’s personality, as she commits a string of gruesome murders that ultimately lead to her execution. As Wuornos faces private and social pressures, the psychology of her character reveals certain mental health problems.
Film Synopsis
Monster is an award winning film about the later years of Aileen Wuornos, a hard woman with a troubled past. At the beginning of the film, the audience hears a monologue by Wuornos who goes by the name of Lee. She talks about her childhood and how she dreamed about becoming a star one day.
Also, she explains that she did sexual things with boys and even men for their approval. Before the action of the film begins, Lee is sitting under a freeway bridge in the rain contemplating suicide. Then, the film flashes ahead to her first meeting with a lesbian named Selby.
The love affair of Lee and Selby takes place at the start of the film’s main action sequence. Lee is a prostitute who spends her days looking for men on the highway. By night, she spends time with Selby who accepts her profession. The two women live together in motels and go out to clubs and drink nightly.
One night, Lee is abducted and sodomized by a man who then tries to rape her. She fights back, finds her gun, and shoots him dead. This event causes a chain reaction in which Lee begins a vicious spree, murdering johns and becoming a serial killer.
After killing becomes easy for Lee, she confesses to Selby that she is good at killing and enjoys it. Selby who only knows about Lee’s first victim becomes caught up in Lee’s spell and refuses to go home to her father. Then, Lee kills a man with a badge in his wallet and plans to leave the town with Selby to escape prosecution.
Lee and Selby are too late, as the police force closes in and circulates pictures of them in the media. Selby goes back to her father because she fears prosecution for knowing Lee. Then, one night at a club, Lee gets ambushed by the police. During her trial, the jury finds her guilty. At the film’s end, Lee receives a sentence of death by lethal injection for her crimes.
Overview of Psychological Principles
Monster explores psychological principles—anti-social behavior, psychopathy, and serial killing—related to Lee. First of all, Lee exhibits anti-social behavior. “People with this disorder tend to have a lifelong pattern of irresponsible behavior and demonstrate little concern for the rights of others, the norms of society, the dictates of conscience, and the law” (“Personality Disorders,” 2006, p. 1). Lee fits this mold, since she shows blatant disregard for the lives of others and the law.
The second principle related to Lee is psychopathy. Lee is a psychopath because she does not feel emotion and can commit gruesome murders without regret. She cannot accept social obligations because she lacks empathy. Undoubtedly, Lee is a serial killer, and like female serial killers that seek financial gain, she is very personal with her victims.
Analysis of Psychological Principles in Monster
Lee shows signs of anti-social behavior by the way she lives off of the streets. She has no home and wanders around the city, sleeping under highway bridges and living out of storage centers. She also makes decisions impetuously and is an irresponsible person who cannot even hold down a job. Having poor life skills, Lee is a typical anti-social person who uses sex as a deadly weapon.
In terms of her actions, Lee shows the characteristic behavior of a psychopath. She lies and manipulates others, while feeling no mercy, shame, or sense of humility. Throughout the film, Lee lies to Selby and uses her to keep her away from her father. Lee feels no regrets for her crimes and even tells Selby that killing is the one thing that she can still do.
Overall, Lee is definitely a psychopath who is a menace to society and a danger to the people around her. With a foul mouth, Lee is glib, has superficial charm, and lives life recklessly. Hence, she has an unrealistic outlook and puts Selby in jeopardy of being connected to the murders.
Like most female serial killers, Lee works alone. She stalks her prey, entices them with sex, and then shoots them multiple times with a gun. Moreover, she has sexual relations with the majority of her victims. According to Kocsis (2008), “More than half (53.9%) of the serial killing women…(target) those with whom they (are) sexually intimate” (p. 185).
Lastly, the men who fall prey to Lee’s charms are all travelers looking for a good time. Hence, she knows that they are dependent on her sexual wiles. Because she takes their money and sometimes their cars, Lee is a typical female serial killer who seeks financial gain from her victims.
Concluding Remarks
Monster’s purpose is to show the world the mind of a female serial killer. Not only does the audience witness her violence, but it also sees her tenderness with her girlfriend, Selby. Therefore, Lee is a three-dimensional character for whom the viewers feel ambivalence. Some hate her; while others pity her. All in all, the film explores stark psychological principles that can affect anyone in society.
Sources:
- Kiehl, K.A. & Buckholtz, J.W. (2010). Inside the mind of a psychopath. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
- Kocsis, R.N. (2008). Serial murder and the psychology of violent crimes. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press.
- Personality disorders. (2006). Retrieved January 2, 2012.
