Freudiansk analyse af Stephen Kings 'The Boogeyman'

The uncanny and the supernatural are things that have driven every human being since the beginning of time. However, we have only known for a few decades, what actually happens in the human mind, that makes us scared. Sigmund Freud was a front figure in this field, where he had a lot of theories about what he called “das Unheimliche or “the Uncanny”. Furthermore, his ideas about the unconscious have become some of the most acknowledged theories in modern science. These ideas about the human psyche are something Stephen King has taken into consideration before writing the story “The Boogeyman”.

The story uses an omniscient narrator, where the story is seen from Dr Harper’s point of view, except for the very end, where Billings walks out of the Dr Harper’s office. However, the events are being told from Billings’ point of view, which is due to the fact that he is the one, who is telling about the events. Billings describes how he accidentally has killed all three of his children. He blames the murder on a monster, but this might just be an excuse for his own actions.

Dr Harper describes Billings as looking “haggard and old” (7). Additionally, he states that “His eyes held all the miserable secrets of whiskey” (8). From the very beginning of the story, it seems like Billings has some problems in his life. He also shows a very aggressive behavior and seems mentally unstable. Billings has a sick yellow smile, comes with nervous little laughs and spits out violently (109,66,52). He also comes with some extreme statements, for example: “I tell you, sometimes I felt like throwing them both out of a window. Christ, kids drive you crazy sometimes. You could kill them” (38). If we take a closer look into Billings’ personality, it becomes clear to us, that Billings has a very conservative view on the world, especially in terms of his approach towards women and parenting. He insists on keeping the children in their own room, even though they cry and seem scared. This is because he is frightened that a child of his may become a sissy. Likewise, Billings’ view on the role of the wife is also very conservative, which becomes clear to us when he describes his wife, Rita. “She still wanted to do what I told her. That's the wife's place” (84).