“You are looking but you are not seeing” (Ratner, 2002, Min. 45). Fictional character Hannibal Lector was quoted as saying. Yet no other phrase fits as well when we look into the curious case of Francis Dolarhyde. Due to the fact that he appears entirely normal, but his other side is anything but. In a sense he was a serial killer who murdered entire families by shooting them in their beds. Then begins to live out his fantasy of “family “and fulfills his commitments to his alter ego the “The Great Red Dragon.” We are merely scratching the surface of this interesting and complex individual. Let’s take a deeper dive of who he was and what made him to what he turned out to be. Part I covering his history. Part II covering his crimes in detail. …show more content…
Part III his mental diagnosis. Part IV extra evidence for his diagnosis while rebutting other claims. Part V future possible identification methods. Part VI Treatments. Part VII conclusion. Part I History of the Dragon Francis was born June 14, 1938 being abandoned by his mother only to be raised by his authoritarian grandmother. Who physically and emotionally abuses him to no end. With an ultimate culmination of threat of castration if he ever would urinate in his bed again. His grandmother is later diagnosed with dementia which led to Francis’s departure to a foster family. In which he is further abused by this family, which resulted in his step-siblings smashing his face into a mirror causing a cleft lip palate to appear as well as most of his teeth being smashed out. He retaliated by hanging the family cat and torturing other neighborhood animals to vent frustrations. Family sent him back to orphanage after discovery. Instead of heading back he enlisted into the army (he is now 17) where he learns to develop film and receives minor cosmetic surgery on his cleft to repair it somewhat. Soon he is honorably discharged from military (presumed participation in a murder of civilian Japanese family yet was unproven.) He partakes in bodybuilding a hobby as you will. It is later in his early 40s, while in a trip to Hong Kong, is where he first gazes upon the painting of The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed in Sun. He was so awe-inspired by this painting he receives a full body tattoo as well as two sets of false teeth being made for him. One for day-to-day life the other (being molded on his grandmother’s dentures) was his “dragon fantasy” teeth he would use to live in his persona. It is here his first appearance of an alternate personality is born. After receiving a job as a film processing technician, he finds film of family movies. (Harris, 1981, Entirety of Book). It is here where his “inside voice” begins to take hold of him and where his hostile actions begin. Part II The Crimes of Mr. D Francis would choose his victims through the home movies he was exposed to as he edited.
Of his two crimes committed after deciding on family. He would kill the family pet exactly three days before a full moon then sleep in their backyard, hiding in the day until the event. On the night on full moons he would break in. (Knowing layout due to home movie knowledge). Shooting each of them in the head as they sleep, then smashing all mirrors taking shards and placing them into optical sockets of victims. Following that he would drag any and all corpses into master bedroom where he would have necrophilic pleasures with mother’s corpse. With orgasmic culmination leading to bites on victim’s body. Ritualistically incorporating a dragon persona during killings and having an “audience” during said “transformation.” He would repeat this process after finding another family home movie and deciding upon it. Then begins to wait patiently until next full moon cycle to begin …show more content…
anew. Part III Tooth Fairy Traits/Tendencies/Mental Diagnosis The most apparent and all the more encompassing mental disorder that Mr. Dolarhyde suffers from would be paranoid schizophrenia. A chronic mental disorder in which a person loses touch with reality (psychosis). As stated in the DSM-5 definition of schizophrenia would also display the following signs and symptoms as well. Having delusions where he was being told “you are not killing them you are changing them.” Having full on hallucinations where he was “completing a ritual for the dragon transformation.” Also displaying disorganized speech where minor stuttering would occur and conversation was on basic minimal talk. Except when “dragon was involved.” Book also notes disorganized behavior where he would have hard time dealing with emotional outbursts when someone brings up his appearance regardless good or bad. Including not being able to handle any sort of betrayal or rejection. When it came from co-worker hitting on Reba or when Reba was talking to someone else. As noted in Schizophrenia: Cognitive theory, research, and therapy, on paranoid schizophrenics. They would also tend to display negative symptoms of anhedonia. Where going on the date with Reba, compliments from others. He would have no enthusiasm/happiness or lack thereof. In which normally people enjoy. Also having lack of emotions, blunted expressions and overall decrease interest in the world around or others. It is not so much spilt mind as book calls it but more so split from reality. He talks to the whispers only he can hear. He fulfills the loud screaming orders only he can listen. It’s this that I believe that Francis exemplifies paranoid schizophrenia. Worthy of note about Francis would be his similar connection to Ed Gein. Where “he would finally have control over a female that had ultimate control over him.” (Woods, 2002, pg. 58). In this case Francis and Ed relate much more when relationship to mother figures as it is elaborated more as, Francis kept his house pristine way his grandmother left it. Not doing anything to clean or fix it. Not unlike Ed Gein’s house where everything remained the same especially the mother’s room. But Ed would add things here and there. Not unlike Francis who added a painting and other knick-knacks. But where Gein would cut up dead women for his “control fantasy.” Francis would keep a scrap book of obituaries of dead elderly women. Fulfilling his “control fantasy.” Adding to that was his murders would be also a “control fantasy” of women. Where he would be the Great Red Dragon and the women he would murder and consummate with would be the Woman Who would be Clothed by the Sun. Now it’s debate-able what “sun” means. I’m ranging from his radiance as the dragon or full moon’s light or his semen. Either way after being controlled and hurt by women so long he finally could hurt and have control himself against those of the same sex that hurt him. Part IV Extra Supportive Diagnosis/Misdiagnosis One could note that his paranoid schizophrenia could be misdiagnosed dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder.) Noted in the DSM-5 was an idea of as persons identity being fragmented into two or more distinct personality states.
Let’s debunk this as it would be DID as quoted as “person also experiences memory loss that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness.” (Dissociative Identity Disorder, n.d. para. 2). Yet, he suffered no memory loss what so ever. He knew what he was doing the whole time and not questioning “what happened night before?” Bargaining with his “dragon persona” as not to kill or harm Reba because she is nice. Reasoning the dragon’s presence and trying to “stop it.” DID sufferers cannot attach or understand their other personality. But Francis identifies with the dragon and lives with it, so it is not DID. Wait, why not bi-polarism if its not DID? Well although striking similar in diagnosis. DSM-5 as well as recorded in Healthline (article being on Is it Bipolar Disorder or Schizophrenia?). Is that presence of delusions. Where bipolar would not. Yet, there were no manic or hypomanic episodes recorded in Francis’s lifetime. He was not in a stupor depression for an extended amount of time and could function enough to have job. Where bipolar could not. I.e. is work was not interrupted by the schizophrenia where as bipolar
would.
Constellations have helped many people for many years. Draco the Dragon is by far the coolest constellation in the sky. The things that make draco the dragon interesting is the facts and myths.
In the scene, “Beowulf and the Dragon,” a slave guilty of wrongdoing has to steal to earn his freedom and be forgiven for what he has done wrong. The slave decides to steal a beautiful cup to pay off his mistake, which was probably murder. The slave does not realize that he is stealing from the dragon until he actually sees the dragon. The slave immediately knows that it is an enormous mistake to anger the dragon, but he panics and leaves with the cup.
My studies show that the patient’s actions during my interview with him were unusual, he was oddly calm about explaining in detail what he had done to the old man. I asked the defendant why he would do such a thing as killing the old man. He tells me the old man never did him wrong, “I knew what the old man felt and pitied him” (Poe 204)., it was the eye that tortured my patient. “a pale blue eye...my blood ran cold...thus
“Slaying the Dragon” by Deborah Gee is a comprehensive look at media stereotypes of Asian and Asian American women since the silent era. From the racist use of white actors to portray Asians in early Hollywood films, through the success of Anna May Wong’s sinister dragon lady, to Suzie Wong and the ‘50s geisha girls, to the Asian-American anchorwoman of today. The movie also shows how stereotypes of exoticism and docility have affected the perception of Asian-American women.
In the book Eichmann Jerusalem by Hannah Arendt, we are shown a man that is seemingly normal and a common type of man. As the the trial goes on, we begin to see deep inside the mind of this banal, monstrous man. Evil does not always have a “look”, sometimes evil is found in the most ordinary of men with a cliche lifestyle and a stamp of approval from half-a-dozen psychiatrists.
In these two poems dragons are featured as negative creatures and are associated with the evil
Slaying the Dragon gave the audience a look inside the world of Asian actresses. The entertainment industry is very different for women of Asian descent. I never realized how difficult it was for these women in the earlier years of the film industry. Even today, when asked to name famous Asian actresses, I had a hard time thinking of more than two or three.
Edgar Allen Poe’s tale of murder and revenge, “The Cask of Amontillado”, offers a unique perspective into the mind of a deranged murderer. The effectiveness of the story is largely due to its first person point of view, which allows the reader a deeper involvement into the thoughts and motivations of the protagonist, Montresor. The first person narration results in an unbalanced viewpoint on the central conflict of the story, man versus man, because the reader knows very little about the thoughts of the antagonist, Fortunato. The setting of “The Cask of Amontillado”, in the dark catacombs of Montresor’s wine cellar, contributes to the story’s theme that some people will go to great lengths to fanatically defend their honor.
?The Cask of Amontillado? raises a question pertaining to the multiple character of the self (Davidson 202); Can harmony of one's self be restored once primal impulses have been acted upon? This question proposes the fantasy of crime without consequence (Stepp 60). Edgar Allan Poe uses first person point of view, vivid symbolism and situational irony to show that because of man's inner self, revenge is ultimately not possible.
Dissociative identity disorder, a condition that has plagued and altered the minds of those who were diagnosed for many years, represents the condition in which an individual displays multiple personalities that overpower his or her behavior around others and even alone. Such personalities or identities can have staggering differences between them even being characterized by a disparate gender, race, or age. One of the sides of them can even be animal-like and display feral qualities. Also, the disorder severs the connection between the victim’s sense of identity, emotions, actions, and even memories from their own consciousness. The cause for this is known to be a very traumatic experience that the person had gone through previously and fails to cope with it, thus they dissociate themselves from the memory in order to keep their mental state in one piece. All these results from the disorder do not begin to tell of the rest of the horrors that gnaw away at the affected human.
... personalities. Whilst no causes are confirmed, it is believed that a traumatic event of some description can lead to DID in adulthood. Using the mental status exam, psychologists can begin to treat a patient using either psychotherapy or hypnosis methods or even both, whilst other alternative methods can also be used if need be. The symptoms of DID can be severe but the eventual outcomes can even more so be life threatening. Today, DID is recognised as a mental illness and it is easier now to receive help than it was in the 19th century. The movie Sybil shows how the illness can be treated in a modern day context and gives viewers a valuable insight to the disorder in full. Whilst the illness can be debilitating and devastating in life for some people, it is comforting to know that some psychologists’ think that DID is on the decline[1].
The Genus Varanus komodoensis, or more commonly known as the Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard on Earth. The Komodo dragon belongs to the class reptilian and the phylum Chordata. They are a species of Monitor Lizard that have been isolated for millions of years on the islands in Indonesian Archipelago and were not discovered until the First World War (Diamond, 1994).
In the book Sybil, written by Flora Rheta Schreiber discuss the life story of Sybil Isabel Dorsett, who has developed 16 distinct personalities because of her childhood abuse. Sybil story became one of the most severe cases ever recorded with multiple personalities. Which is currently called Dissociative Identity Disorder in the current DSM-V. “Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is a severe condition in which two or more distinct identities, or personality states, are present in—and alternately take control of—an individual. The person also experiences memory loss that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness” (Psychology Today, 2008, para 1). Sybil’s distinct sense of selves helped protect her from the trauma she experienced as a child.
Edgar Allen Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado is a dark and frightening tale of revenge, temptation and murder. The victim of the heinous crime, Fortunato, is a respectable gentleman with a weakness. He has flaws like any other human being, but the difference lies in the severity of his imperfections. For poor Fortunato, his vulnerabilities prove to be the cause of his death. If Fortunato had not been drunk at the time of his homicide, he would not have been susceptible to the enticements of his murderer, Montressor, and would not have been killed.
The alternate identities present in an individual who suffers from DID are forms of coping mechanisms for the individual.