Misery: A Critical Analysis of the Film's Antagonist
Misery is a critically acclaimed American horror film that was released in 1990 based on, and inspired by Stephen King`s novel by the same title. The movie starred James Can and the academy award winning actress, Kathy Bates, who played the role of the psychotic antagonist. Kathy Bates performed as Annie Wilkes, a delusional fan who held Paul Sheldon, a best-selling romantic novel author captive after initially saving him from the wrangles of death. Unfortunately for Sheldon, Wilkes gradually transforms into a delusional and obsessed fan who forced him into writing her personal stories. Wilkes appears as a concerned fan who was desperate to salvage the life of her all-time favorite actor but as the story progresses, her true character emerges as she transforms into a weird and psychotic individual who clearly had unresolved mental problems. Wilkes appears to suffer from bipolar disorder based on her intense and highly uncontrollable mood swings. She was portrayed as full of energy in one scene only for her depression to kick in and dampen her mood. Therefore, the paper shall critically analyze the film`s antagonist, Annie Wilkes, paying keen attention to her bipolar disorder in a bid to understand her condition which made her frequently transform from a caring nurse to a heartless villain who tortured and tormented her favorite author.
Annie Wilkes portrays signs of bipolar disorder
Annie Wilkes portrays signs of bipolar disorder early on in the plot. This can be seen in her reaction after she read several pages of Sheldon`s novel. She transformed from being an alleged super fan to a critic upon taking offense from Sheldon`s use of profanity in his novel. Indeed, she goes ahead to claim that God sent her to deliver Sheldon and show him the right path. This is an obvious indication of her rapid change in moods. Instead of appreciating the author`s willingness to share his manuscript, she opts to criticize and influence the direction of Sheldon`s narrative (King and William, 2010). This is highly unusual of a star struck individual who is expected to marvel at everything a favorite personality presents. Her response to the unfinished story shocks Sheldon, who immediately begins to question the nature and personality of his host.
Wilkes unusual personality and behaviors
Another indication of Wilkes unusual personality is from how she conducts her day to day activity. She lived in an isolated area and did not have any friends or relatives who she related with. This is an indication of interpersonal deficits that is common in people diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She enjoys her pet`s company more than that of normal people. Moreover, her eccentric mannerism and behaviors appear odd if not bizarre. When excited, Wilkes jumps energetically which can change in a matter of seconds which can be seen as the story unfolds. Her moods are rarely consistent similar to her beliefs. She appears to be mentally ill based on her unusual reactions and suspicious way of life.
Wilkes' borderline personality emerges
Despite being a fully grown adult, Wilkes portrays childish and unpredictable characteristics which lead to questions regarding her personality. She prefers when everything is done her way without any arguments or challenges. This is evident in the scene where she demands that Sheldon write a new story based on information that is true to her. This can be seen as an instance of her borderline personality emerging as she initially made her intentions of assisting Sheldon in his works clear. Instead of rooting for Sheldon`s creativity, she takes over and demands that Sheldon should write a new story based on events that are true to her. She appears calms when addressing Sheldon and demanding for necessary changes. However, when Sheldon attempts to challenge her perspective, she reacts angrily and leaves no room for discussion.As (Post, 2016) reiterates, people suffering from bipolar disorder are often unpredictable in their reactions. Indeed, she comes out as an unstable personality who is desperate for attention
Wilkes' advanced mental illness
As the film progresses, it becomes clear that Wilkes is suffering from an advanced mental illness. People suffering from bipolar disorder are often unstable and intolerant without any impulse control (Whitton, Michael and Diego, 2015). She could easily get irritated which more often than not led to a change in her moods. An example from the film is when she was seated quietly by the bed reading Sheldon`s unpublished book. However, after stumbling upon some profanity in the narrations, she becomes angry to an extent she carelessly spilled the soup she was feeding Sheldon. The film appears to use irony in narrating the story, more so as the plot unfolds. As a professional nurse, she was expected to treat all patients with high regard and care. This was not the case though, as she often forgot her role as Sheldon`s caretaker and treated him like a prisoner.
Wilkes' portrayal of a mentally ill antagonist
Misery as a film depicts Wilkes as a queer personality who is incapable of managing her reactions. What is more, she had extremely poor interpersonal skills which were evident in her treatment of Sheldon. At the beginning of the Misery, Wilkes was portrayed as an avid fan who was keen on helping her star novelist recover from a car accident. However, this soon changes as she begins treating Sheldon unprofessionally and inhumanely. Bi-polar disorder is characterized by a patient`s inability to control emotions. Wilkes was wired in such a way that she would be happy then sad the next second. Upon reading Sheldon`s unprinted novel she storms into his room, yelling hysterically as she was clearly annoyed at his decision to kill Misery in the eight novel. She demands that he fixes that error and closely monitors his novel writing rendezvous. Her angry reaction is an indication of her personality disorder considering that she had professed her admiration for his works only a day earlier.
Wilkes' mental disorder and psychopathic violence
Wilkes personality disorder is prominent throughout the film as can be seen from her irrational reactions. Patients diagnosed with the mental condition often display symptoms of low self-esteem and depression (Kiehl, 2015). Wilkes lived a lonely and abandoned life on her mountain cabin. She was always alone and sought company from her pig pet which she had named Misery. Her treatment of Sheldon is indicative of an individual suffering from bipolar disorder as she would attempt to heighten her influence by referencing God in her conversations with Sheldon. She claimed to be in constant talks with God and firmly believed that God sent her to give Sheldon inspiration and direction. Moreover, she attempted to prove her value to Sheldon in more ways than one as can be seen from her omnipotent control. She would leave things in an organized manner and expect them to remain the same without being changed which is an indication of her desire to have more control. However, her treatment of Sheldon reveals that she truly had mental issues as she would threaten him with his life severally without bluffing.
Wilkes' lack of remorse and irrational actions
Another instance of her borderline personality is her psychopathic violence. Upon discovering that Sheldon had been moving around in the cabin in pursuit of freedom, she breaks off her leg using a hammer. The scene received critical acclamation for its depiction of mental instability as she appeared to overreact. She does not appear as entirely incensed which misleads the viewer into thinking she would warn or even yell at Sheldon as opposed to harming his legs. Indeed, Wilkes comes out as a mentally ill individual who is completely out of touch with reality.
Wilkes' symptoms and inability to act rationally
As the plot continues to unfold, it is revealed that Wilkes had some symptoms of bipolar disorder. She admits that she barely gets sleep and often felt depressed. However, typical of patients suffering from the disorder she is in denial and believes that she was never in the wrong and her dismissal from her nursing post was out of malice. Interestingly, it is difficult to gauge her intelligence as she would at times come off as reserved and polite only for her to lose her bearings and become greatly annoyed. In some scenes, Wilkes would talk in a slow pace trying to create and maintain a conversation with Sheldon. However, this would change rapidly whenever things would not go her way which would consequently lead her to converse in raised tones at a frantic pace. Her ability to concentrate is also highly questionable as she would lose concentration easily due to insignificant distractions.
Wilkes' inhumanity and lack of remorse
Wilkes` reactions are similar to those suffering from bipolar disorder. She often did things based on emotions without any remorse despite the severity and degree of inhumanity. Despite claiming to be an avid fan of Sheldon`s work, she set his unpublished book on fire disregarding his initial efforts to write the novel (Magistrate, 2003). Additionally, she was also without remorse when she chopped of Sheldon`s thumb due to his reluctance to follow her instructions. This highlights the severity of her mental disorder as she was incapable of acting rationally and when she did, it would only be for limited period.
Wilkes: A mentally ill antagonist in Misery
Misery received positive reviews for its portrayal of Wilkes who was the story`s antagonist. Her unstable mental condition is evident from the onset of the film based on how she conducted her daily routines and her initial responses to Sheldon. Despite boldly claiming to be Sheldon`s fan, she reveals herself as a mean and ruthless individual desperate for attention and recognition. Her bipolar disorder was evident in her conversations with Sheldon where she would speak in low tones only to raise her voice when irritated or disgusted even by minute details. Her ability to transform from fan to villain and then to fan again is an indication of her mentally unstable condition. Moreover, she was unable to fully concentrate on a single task, which, in this case, was taking care of Sheldon and aiding his recovery. Instead, she took on the role of master and was determined to influence his unprinted novel. In addition to her inability to concentrate, Wilkes was also violent and ignorant of her immediate actions. She inflicted physical and mental torture to Sheldon who found it difficult to understand her and her reasoning. Indeed, Misery managed to portray a mentally ill antagonist whose bipolar disorder led her to acting irrationally and inhumanely.
Works cited
Kiehl, Kent A. The psychopath whisperer: The science of those without conscience. Broadway Books, 2015.
King, Stephen, and William Olivier Desmond. Misery. Albin Michel, 2010.
Magistrale, Tony. Hollywood's Stephen King. Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.
Post, Robert M. "Bipolar disorder in adults: Choosing maintenance treatment." UpToDate, Waltham, MA. Accessed May 23 (2016).
Whitton, Alexis E., Michael T. Treadway, and Diego A. Pizzagalli. "Reward processing dysfunction in major depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia." Current opinion in psychiatry 28.1 (2015): 7.
