Shaping a psychopathic man-eating serial killer

Abstract

Hannibal Lecter is one of the most sophisticated characters written in the Psychological Thriller Genre. The character revolutionized the genre and it is all credited to Thomas Harris. The present thesis attempts to study the childhood trauma of the character and its overall impact on shaping him into a psychopathic man-eating monster. The study is conducted through an analytical approach based on the use of Freudian Psychodynamics Theory and Jungian Archetypal Criticism, which is also known as Collective Unconscious Theory to analyze the impact of the childhood trauma on Hannibal. Though the analysis covered the impact that trauma left on Hannibal, various other mental illnesses were discussed, namely: Antisocial Personality Disorder (Psychopathy), Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and Wendigo Psychosis which are all traceable to Post-Traumatic Stress disorder in the first place. To sum up, it was declared that childhood trauma was the driving force in Hannibal becoming the monster he is. In addition to that, it is the root to all his other mental illnesses plus the relationship he developed with Clarice Starling.