« February 2007 | Main | April 2007 »
March 18, 2007
The Narcissist as Beast - Part II
Adhering to the proud tradition of uninspired spousal murderers, Beast contemplates how best to hide Beauty’s body, rehearsing an anemic variation on the well-worn fiction that she went “missing” after he last saw her. To distinguish himself from clichéd ideas such as sinking the body in water or strapping it in the family vehicle and pushing it off a cliff, Beast contrives a brilliant but grisly solution: dismember Beauty using the tool and die equipment at Dear Ol' Dad’s place of business.
The audience finally sits up and raises its collective eyebrows.
To add callous insult to injury, thus ensuring himself at least a paragraph in future true-crime anthologies, Beast transports Beauty’s parts to a nearby sentimental location using their children’s sled.
Mixed reactions from the audience include groans, titters, gasps and incredulous head-shaking. They whisper to each other, “Who wrote this stuff?”
When the news-starved media descends upon Beast, the limelight blinds him to what remaining sense he once possessed, and he, like his predecessors, talks too much, emits an in appropriate affect, fails to blink more than twice a minute, seizes upon a sympathetic reporter with whom he confides (remember Ted Rowlands?), and obsesses over his publicity. And, like most of his nitwit fraternity, Beast monitors the search and finds himself returning to the scene of the crime over and over. (Berkeley Marina, anyone?)
The audience is disappointed again. “Oh, come on,” they protest. “He can’t be that stupid.”
Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, Beast is indeed that stupid and unwittingly leads the police directly to a large body part that he retrieved from the park and hid in his garage when the search was getting too hot for his taste. Taking advantage of his narrow window of opportunity, Beast flees with his dog (like Andrew Luster) to a northern Michigan wilderness area where he manages to evade arrest for a day. Unable to stifle his compulsions, Beast contacts family members and the au pair with whom he was playing house and reveals his location via cell phone towers.
The audience groans. “UGGH! Not again! Not the cell phone, you idiot!”
A posse of sheriffs and rescue workers converge upon a frostbitten Beast who surrenders without incident. Later, in custody, Beast confesses to the gruesome details of his adventures with more glee than regret.
The audience does not applaud. They were hoping for an escape scene complete with motorcycles, barbed wire, machine guns, Germans, and a ball and mitt handed to Beast as he enters solitary confinement. Or, at least a coconut disguised as a head in a sleeping bag as a hastily-pitched tent is ripped from its stakes. Alas, the audience is left with yet another craven narcissistic creep removed from harm’s way but not soon enough to prevent a senseless tragedy.
Good riddance, Beast.
Posted by lorelei at 07:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (76)March 09, 2007
The Narcissist as Beast - Part I
After several attempts to compose something meaningful and original about the incredible events surrounding the Tara Grant murder, I found myself uncharacteristically at a loss for words. Grant’s atrocities were so outrageous, so ruthless, if we did not know the story to be true, we would think it was written for a bad B horror movie by an unimaginative 25-year old between bong hits. Or, was it written by a narcissist?
Plot summary: underachieving, boyishly charming, spoiled Beast meets overachieving Beauty. His obsessive desire to possess her is mistaken for love. Beauty is swept off her feet and marries Beast. Soon, they have two children and Beauty rises to the top of her career, leaving spoiled Beast feeling emasculated, envious, and neglected. Beauty agrees to hire young, willing, foreign au pairs to help Beast cope with the childcare responsibilities. Beast attempts to seduce each girl, chasing off or intimidating those who don’t acquiesce. At least one falls in love with him.
Beauty is admired by male coworkers and her boss, and Beast interprets all attention toward his wife as a threat. The more Beauty is exposed to genuine love, admiration, and support, the more his façade is exposed. Meanwhile, Beast carries on a sexually charged cyber relationship with a long-distance former lover, which ensures that he will never have to perform or produce in real life. After several years of frustration and resentment, the lines between reality and fantasy begin to blur, and Beast begins to imagine his emancipation.
So far, the plot is familiar and banal. The audience is yawning. The motive is weak. The protagonist is predictable and wholly unlikeable, and not nearly evil enough. Boring! Time for the murder scene.
How would this Beast murder Beauty? In the most personal and least messy way, of course: strangulation. He lives the greatest fantasy of his life: crushing the woman who reflected all his deficiencies; the woman who possessed all the qualities he loved, which, ironically, were also the qualities he lacked and therefore loathed. As he looks into her eyes, sees her terror, savors that he is denying her breath as she loses consciousness, Beast thinks (or perhaps even says) “I decide who you love. I decide when you die.”
The ultimate pseudo-control to a Beast overwhelmed by powerlessness and rage.
The audience shrugs. Surely you can do better than this.
To be continued.
Posted by lorelei at 09:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (41)March 07, 2007
March Came In Like A Lion
Yes, this is Cleveland in March; typically horrific in terms of unwelcome snow, freezing wind, cold temperatures and bad driving conditions. However, there is something to be said for a crisp, blue sky and a frozen lake with silent white drifts that were once crashing waves.
Dr. N. Buster is going to weigh in on the Grant case as soon as she has time. Stay tuned.
Posted by lorelei at 06:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)