Familial Delusions A Correlation Between Familial And...

Familial Delusions An analysis of popular crime fiction provides evidence of a correlation between familial issues and forms of mental illness. These factors are often shown to work together to manifest in criminal behavior. Crime fiction storylines repeatedly connect illegal acts with delusion, based upon strange relationships between perpetrators and their mothers. These plotlines often leave the culpability of the crimes in question and allow for deeper examination of how society views guilt. It is apparent in Woodrow Wilson’s Necktie, by Highsmith, that Clive’s mental troubles are exacerbated by the actions of his mother. The first of these actions is revealed in the description given of the woman. Clive’s mother had been left by†¦show more content†¦Her inability to parent effectively leads to Clive dropping out of school and eventually committing murder. A second scene that corroborates the theory of negligence on the part of Clive’s mother is at the end of the story where Clive is attempting to confess his crimes. Clive’s mother reveals that around the time of her husband’s departure, that her son started asking questions regarding his identity. It is at this point that his mother should have found Clive professional help. Although it is not altogether abnormal for a young child to question their place in the world, it is strange to phrase these questions as inquiries upon one’s status as a person. These questions mark some of the first signs that his father’s leaving had caused Clive to develop mental instability. Had his mother gotten Clive the help he needed, it is quite possible that he would not have developed the form of dissociative disorder that eventually inclined him to commit murder. Instead, his mother allows Clive to do poorly in school and to have free reign. It can be assumed that Clive’s mother only meant to reconcile her failures as a wife and a mother by allowing her son to do as he pleased, but her inattention actually served to doom her son. This case suggests that Clive’s relationship to his mother either caused or strengthened delusions he harbored about what being a person means,