Werewolves in Psyche and Cinema: Man‐Beast Transformation and Paradox

Abstract

The phenomenon of human beings undergoing transformations into other species has been prevalent notion since dawn of consciousness. It occurs readily when boundaries between humans and animals are perceived as indistinct or when presence of those boundaries is being tested or established. Such changes may be voluntary-brought about in an effort to obtain certain desirable characteristics possessed by an animal-or they may be involuntary-inflicted wantonly by an outside force upon an innocent person or intentionally upon guilty individual as punishment. Over course of history, this so-called shape-changing has involved many animals, with wolf being one of most frequent and persistent. From Anglo-Saxon wer, meaning man and wulf meaning wolf comes term werewolf, defined as man temporarily or permanently transformed into wolf (Spence 426). Lycanthropy is magical ability to assume form and characteristics of wolf, and is also used to denote mental disorder in which person believes himself to be wolf. Our contemporary technological world is imbued with positivism that leaves little room for humananimal forms like werewolves to prowl night. For industrialized society, belief in actuality of werewolves has all but vanished; yet creatures still exist in human psyche, lying in wait to disturb our dreams. They remain alive and well in twentieth century, according to recent psychiatric case studies (Keck 113; Kulick 134). They survive in popular culture through fantasy fiction, Gothic horror novels, tabloids, and even in 1978 song about werewolves in London. No single classic gave rise to werewolf image in way that Mary Shelley's work established Frankenstein and Bram Stoker's novel created Dracula. Rather contemporary humanwolf has been inspired largely by cinematic representations. The werewolf is subject of films which have recurred quite regularly over six decades and in which idea of becoming werewolf is real possibility, depicted with creativity and enthusiasm, encoding many symbolic meanings. The 1994 Hollywood hit, Wolf, described as the thinking man's werewolf movie (Janusonis D5), stars Jack Nicholson, whose normal feral intensity and lupine features including demonically arched eyebrows are said to fit him for role (Wolf 13; James 13). He plays Will Randall, book editor of New York publishing house who, when story begins, is polite, intelligent individual described as last civilized man. He is known as a good man, but as someone remarks, the worst things happen to best people. His character changes after being bitten by wolf while traveling in wilds of Vermont. Not only does this event occur during full moon, but also on very night moon was closer to earth than it had been in 100 years. The first sign that anything unusual had happened to him is reaction of extreme fear that he inspires in horse. Later, birds fly in panic out of trees when he approaches. Soon, dense hair grows around bite wound on his hand. Then he develops an extraordinarily keen sense of smell, allowing him to detect odor of another man on his wife's clothes, betraying her infidelity. He no longer needs glasses, hears conversations through closed doors, and can move each ear separately. Hair grows on his face. He twitches his nose and sniffs air. His habits change to sleeping by day and being active at night. He makes love to his wife after long abstinence, first pulling off her bathrobe belt with his teeth. She responds by calling him You animal! He feels 20 years younger and suddenly has courage to decide to start his own company. He beats up three thugs who attempt to rob him and leaps over wall when policemen chase him out of zoo where he has gone to feed. He gives up his former vegetarian lifestyle and craves meat-the bloodier better. Randall's conversion is complete when at next full moon he jumps out of window, growls revealing fangs instead of teeth, chases deer through woods and brings it down. …