Is Ed Gein a serial killer or a murderer? The rule is that one must kill 3 or more people at different periods of time. Ed Gein has officially killed 2 women and they were over a small span of time, but officially this does not make him a serial killer. Though he has dug up bodies and has done unspeakable things with them, they were already dead. Then why is he considered an iconic serial killer? Why has this man been used as the bases in so many horror movies, if he wasn’t even known in the country during his crimes? Most serial killers are feared, known and sometimes idolized during their sprees, but this man slipped under the radar for many years. Robert Bloch sought out information on Ed Gein which inspired him to write a story based on the horrid crimes he committed which brought forth this evil man into the lime light.
Ed Gein, Serial Killer Hidden in the Shadows
Born August 27, 1906 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Edward Theodore Gein Was raised by his over religious mother and timid alcoholic father. His upbringing was what lead him to the abnormal lifestyle he was later shunned and prosecuted against. His relationship with his mother was unhealthy and kept him from dating or having friends. Her preaching about the sins of carnal desire and lust kept him home with his mother till her death in 1945. After her passing he did not handle the depression well and began digging up graves from the nearby cemetery. He choose to go after recently buried females for body parts before returning the remaining of the body back to its grave (Biography.com, 2014).
After a while of collecting body parts and using them for variety of things from clothes to furniture and decorations around the house. He even had a female body suit and was accus...
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Mass murder is defined as “the killing of three or more victims as part of a single ongoing event” (Davies 187). Park Dietz (1986) ...
A society that presumes a norm of violence and celebrates aggression, whether in the subway, on the football field, or in the conduct of its business, cannot help making celebrities of the people who would destroy it. Unfortunately, such acts of rampage have become a prevalent factor in the Canadian culture. As a result of endless media coverage, Canadians now are constantly bombarded with numerous images of violence. Many of which often portray a victim avenging their opponent by means of force. Thus, indoctrinating a nation of individuals to believe that it is only through aggression that problems can be resolved. Rather than being punished for acts of violence, those who commit such offenses are often praised for their “heroism”. In addition, the success of films like The Godfather, Gladiator, and Troy further aid in reinstating the fact that we live in a society that praises violence. Furthermore, this ideology allows for individuals to partake in violent acts with little or no backlash from ones community. However, when an individual strays away from the “norm”, they are likely to then be viewed as a deviant. Such cases of rejection within a society, are often seen in the portrayal of serial killers. Although our society tends to condone violence when it is directed towards a specific individual(s), it does not allow the killing of innocent bystanders. Instead, crimes that are targeted against a number of people over a long period of time, entail the harshest forms punishments under the law. Sadly, in executing the law for said crimes, those in charge often face much public scrutiny. Such occurrences were apparent in the faulty murder investigations of Canada's most notorious serial killer Robert Pickton. This is due to the ...
A society that presumes a norm of violence and celebrates aggression, whether in the subway, on the football field, or in the conduct of its business, cannot help making celebrities of the people who would destroy it, (Lapham, 1985). Unfortunately, such acts of rampage have become a prevalent factor in the Canadian culture. As a result of endless media coverage, Canadians now are constantly bombarded with countless images of violence. Many of which often portray a victim avenging their opponent by force. Thus, indoctrinating individuals to believe that it is only through aggression that problems are resolved. Rather than being punished for acts of violence, those who commit such offenses are often praised for their “heroism”. In addition, the success of films like The Godfather, Gladiator, and Troy further aid in reinstating we live in a society that praises violence. Furthermore, this ideology allows for people to partake in violent acts with little or no backlash from ones community. However, when an person strays away from the “norm”, they are likely to then be viewed as a deviant. Such cases of rejection within a society, are often seen in the portrayal of serial killers. Although our society tends to condone violence when it is directed towards a specific individual(s), it does not allow the killing of innocent bystanders. Instead, crimes that are targeted against a number of people over a long period, entail the harshest forms punishments under the law. Sadly, in executing the law for said crimes, those in charge often face much public scrutiny. Such occurrences were apparent in the faulty murder investigations of Canada's most notorious serial killer Robert Pickton. This is due to the fact that, the negligence of the Vancou...
Serial killers are everywhere! Well, perhaps not in our neighborhood, but on our television screens, at the movie theaters, and in rows and rows of books at our local Borders or Barnes and Nobles Booksellers” (Brown). When people think of serial killers, names such as Dahmer, Gacy, Bundy, and Gein are cited. During the time Jack the Ripper was executing his victims in London, Holmes began his gruesome career in Chicago (America’s Serial Killers). “Despite being America’s first serial killer, Holmes is hardly a familiar name and until now we haven’t had any popular visual record of his crimes: (Spikol). Why is it that people only think of the more popular killers with higher known profiles? They are all very similar to one another because they share characteristics. H.H. Holmes was a successful serial killer because he was well educated, cunning and charming. Those are just a few traits Holmes ...
After the death of his brother Edward Gein lived alone with his mother until her death after suffering from numerous strokes. Her death devastated him she was his only friend and companion. Even after a lifetime of mental and physical abuse he loved her I believe he developed a Dependent Personality Disorder with his mother because he never separated from her. Once considered maybe a little odd not Gein started to show multiple escalated behaviors that were and still to this day are considered some of the most abnormal ever witnessed.
A serial killer is traditional defined as the separate killings of three or more people by an individual over a certain period of time, usually with breaks between the murders. (Angela Pilson, p. 2, 2011) This definition has been accepted by both the police and academics and therefore provides a useful frame of reference (Kevin Haggerty, p.1, 2009). The paper will seek to provide the readers with an explanation of how serial killers came to be and how they are portrayed in the media.
Introduction: On the spectrum of criminal activity, serial killers are rather rare. Rarer still is a serial killer like Ted Bundy. Bundy confessed to killing 28 women in the 1970s in ghastly fashion and some believe he may have killed far more. It is hard to imagine what could cause any person to cross the mental boundary into such macabre behavior as Bundy perpetrated. Nevertheless, it is important to try to understand that behavior because only though such an understanding would society be able to identify and deter mass murderers in order to save lives.
2011. “Serial Killers and Mass Murderers.” American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, et al. Vol. 9:
Edward Gein’s was a man from the 1950’s. His mother was verbally abusive, very religious and strict. His father was an alcoholic. He was found to be mentally sane and have an average IQ. But it was not until his mother dying that he went nuts. He had an obsession with the women autonomy, Nazi experiments on people and a desire to change his sex. Gein’s started out robbing graves to support his desires. But later he started killing. He would kill and take a cooling off period. His signature was with every killing he would take a trophy from his victims along with mutilate their bodies and bury them on his farm (Rhodes, 2012).
Beasley, James. 2004. “Serial Murder in America: Case Studies of Seven Offenders.” Behavioral Sciences and the Law 22: 395-414
Miller, Laurence. "The predator's brain: Neuropsychodynamics of serial killers."Serial offenders: Current thought, recent findings, unusual syndromes (2000): 135-166.
Serial killers commonly attack a single target at a time one on one. There also tends to be no or very little relation between the person being killed and the killer (murder 1). “The nature of this drive has been heavily debated, but there is a consensus on some points (Anderson 1).” Many researchers have noted sexual behavior in the murder.