Summary and Analysis of Deviant by Worth Books

Author:Worth Books
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Worth Books
Published: 2017-03-27T17:51:05+00:00

Conclusion: The Psycho

42

As a complacent and cooperative resident of Central State, Ed Gein was oblivious to the fact that his story had become a sort of legend. For parents, he became the bogeyman with whom to scare misbehaving children, but in the popular consciousness he came alive in Psycho’s Norman Bates. Reporters remained keen to interview him, especially in 1960, when dogs, again, sniffed out more human bones on the property.

Need to Know: Though it was assumed Ed would remain in the mental hospital for the rest of his life, he still underwent semiannual psychological screenings to determine whether he might stand trial.

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Nearly a decade later, Dr. Schubert came to the surprise conclusion that Ed Gein was indeed now fit to go to trial. Both the judge and the public were baffled by the decision to, as one punny headline put it, dig up the case. Both taxpayer costs and the reopening of emotional wounds were at stake.

Nevertheless, months of preamble led up to a brief trial for the murder of Bernice Worden. Gein now claimed the shooting was accidental, and that he did not recall mutilating the body. The special prosecutor noted he lingered with apparent appreciation over photos of the hanging corpse. Despite a fresh flare-up of media attention, Gein’s status remained the same.

Need to Know: Ed Gein was found guilty of murder, then not guilty by reason of insanity, on the same day. He told the press he was happy to get back to the Central State Hospital.

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In 1974, Ed Gein petitioned the state for release, declaring that he was now psychologically sound. At the hearing, his psychiatrists testified that while his demeanor was superficially normal, his mental condition was unchanged. In 1978, he was transferred to another mental hospital. Shortly thereafter, a friend of Gein’s from Central State murdered an elderly woman, then claimed to have picked up the technique of making a human facemask from Ed.

In July 1984, an ailing Ed Gein died. He was quietly buried in Plainfield next to Augusta.

Need to Know: Ed Gein’s death left behind long-unanswered questions about the true scope of his crimes, but those would fade over time. His memory lives on as part of the fabric of popular culture. When Psycho took Ed Gein as a model for the deranged protagonist, it inspired an entire genre of horror. Thus, a man who had very little contact with the outside world has become an enduring archetype.

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