Binary Opposites in Alfrod Hitchcocks Psycho

Alfred Hitchcock uses binary opposites as one of his key methods of creating suspense in his films. This is clearly visible in the film Psycho which uses this method on a regular basis to keep the audience in a state of unease.

The film opens on a wide shot of Phoenix Arizona, displaying the humdrum life and wide open spaces of the city and skyline. In contrast to this we next see the claustrophobic, as well as dimly lit, room where Marion and Sam are having their secret affair. This symbolises the openness of the outside world as opposed to the secrecy and deceit of the hotel room. As well as this it also induces an early feeling of being trapped - while the world outside goes on as normal we are stuck in this dreadful situation symbolized by this room. The situation we are in (or rather Marion is in) is the immoral affair which she can not escape from. She is torn between her love for Sam and the fact that they haven’t got the money to make their relationship moral by getting a divorce for Sam. The tension created by this is conventional of the thriller genre

Another binary opposite is the view of money by the different characters. We see the rich father who (although he claims to not have this view) is clearly trying to buy his daughters happiness. This, along with his ability to easily part with $40,000 without a second thought and trust a complete stranger with it, shows that he takes his wealth for granted and views it as a tool to win people over. The later is backed up by his flirtatiousness with Marion; as if he could get her because of his wealth despite his age. The opposite view to this is the one which Marion holds. Although she does wrong by stealing the money, she certainly does not take it for granted. The fact that she was willing to put herself in her position for this money shows her desperation to have it. On the other hand she does hold one similar view in that she intends to technically buy herself and Sam happiness by using to get Sam a divorce as well as make a life together with it. It may be argued that the opposite in this scenario is the position of the characters. The girl is getting a $40,000 house for doing nothing at all while Marion is a working girl who is in desperate need of the money and has no means of obtaining it.

Something which we see from very early on is Marion’s underwear. When we first see her she is trying to do the right thing and confides in Sam about their moral position. This side of Marion is reflected by the pure white underwear that she is donning. The binary opposite to this is seen later on when she has almost certainly made up her mind to steal the $40,000. This side of Marion knows she is doing wrong puts continues to do so in order to fulfill her own needs. The Black underwear which she is now wearing illustrates this dishonest, “tempted by evil” side to her. The black versus the white is an obvious symbol of good versus evil and how our emotions can turn us down these paths.

The split personality seen in Norman is also a binary opposite. While at first we believe Norman to be an honest and kind (if not a bit weird) character we later learn that this is not the case. The opposition shown by this is the kind exterior opposed by the cold blooded, wicked interior. This creates a feeling of confusion as are perception has been deceived leaving us not knowing what to believe.

Norman is also involved in another opposite which is that of predator and prey. We first se this in the image of the mother in the window; from her high up position she can spy on Marion down below who is helpless in her current position. Her tyrannical and domineering nature adds to the idea of her being a predator while Norman (at this point) represent s another of her victims. He cannot escape her (literally as we later find out) showing how trapped in her talons he is. On the other hand Norman is also a predator in his own way. When we see him studying  Marion through the spy hole we get the impression that he is not doing this to satisfy his libido (due to his unorthodox nature) but rather just so that he can know what’s gong on almost as if he has adopted his mothers dominant personality. In this scene he is empowered predator and Marion is once again the helpless prey.

All of these examples show how Hitchcock puts us in conflicting situations to create a sense of ambiguity. Furthermore this ambiguousness leaves us unaware of what will happen next generating the tension that Hitchcock has intended construct.