Jake Carpenter

CGAA Unit 1
Anatomy
Essay

This essay will investigate the mentality of hybrids and how it, with the multiple identities conflicting, influences their character. Exploring the split personalities of a hybrid, with the overwhelming rage acting as a selfdefence mechanism, and how it has a theme of isolation, in The Incredible Hulk (2008), exploring the moral and natural instinct conflict for survival in Daybreakers (2009) and The Fly (1986). With research sources from Sigmund Freud, complied by Kendra Cherry into The Life, Work and Theories of Sigmund Freud, Debbie Ford's Why Good People Do Bad Things, Deepak Chopra's The Shadow Effect and Coutney Siegel's article 6 Types of Natural Instincts. Analysing the natural and emotional themes, regarding the transformations. This essay will begin with the comparison of the emotional differences and similarities in The Fly and The Incredible Hulk, then examining natural instincts in Daybreakers. As a conclusion, this assignment aims to address the mentality of the characters undergoing the metaphoric alteration as they revert to their primal needs. In David Cronenberg's The Fly, the hybrid, 'BrundleFly' becomes a lonely, unsociable being with the growing need to survive. The transformation has left him unable to socialise within the community and with little interaction with the world (as seen from figure 1), he becomes hostile with the aggression depriving from the fly. The fly heightening the senses, aggression and lust of the human counterpart to the hybrid, has reverted the being from his intellectual self into, almost, a barbarian.
Fig. 1 The 'BrundleFly' halfway through transformation

The conflict between the fly and the human is apparent as he wants to be a part of a family, deriving from his humanity, to be the father of his child. Yet, there is the need for survival in which he plans to use his family in order to become 'normal' with quite a monstrous act. Whilst in The Incredible Hulk, the transformation has altered the being's personality permanently, the hybrid is able to switch between the two visual appearances. The fear in the mind has made the character become isolated. The sense of knowing that the transformation may happen at any moment, has altered the character's being, deriving any emotion into calmness or aggression. The similarities that both The Hulk and BrundleFly, is that they are both fuelled by Fig. 2 The Hulk and the anger-filled chaos aggression which is the base of lust and survival. Both are calmed by love emotions, thus exposing their humanity. The BrundleFly's need for survival is based on the extinction of his own life and the scientific desire to purify himself, with The Hulk's only desire to survive thus attacking those around 2

him. Bruce Banner's survival instincts are to purify himself, in order to protect others. Both share the same self-defence mechanism, which is to focus their anger towards others around them. Such alterations are the complete opposite to their previous human state. The reversal derives from their fears and lusts, in which is overcompensated turning into blind rage. Bruce Banner and The Hulk, are two personalities combined into a single being. The Hulk is a magnified aptitude of anger whereas Bruce, still retaining his usual self, has adopted depression and a false sense of calm trying to hold The Hulk at bay. Bruce's mentality has changed/adapted in accordance to his mutation, in, not only in order to survive, but to keep others safe. The Hulk retains the same mentality to those who aren't of a hostile nature to him. As Edward Norton said (who portrayed Bruce Banner) 'I've been alone for a long time. Not because I want to be' (The Incredible Hulk - Ed Norton Tim Roth, New Trailer * iHD, 2008). In Daybreakers the transformation is worldwide. In fact, it is the humans who are a rarity. The majority of the world are vampires, and is a widely accepted population. However their constant need for blood has revealed to them the consequence for not regularly feeding, the disease leads to a hybrid of a bat and their Fig. 3 The entity of Bruce half-human, half-dead state. Banner and The Hulk The world still functions as it used to, aside from the blood addition to every beverage. Besides from the immortality, there are no-added benefits to the disease. However, the final form of the transformation receives a heightened sense, strength and agility. In the growing stages of the vampirism, the lust for blood grows and further distorts the being's mind. This distortion blurs the morality of the population. This mentality is, in summary, the natural instinct of survival. There are multiple levels that make up natural instincts. Fear, anxiety, anger, depression, loneliness and guilt, all collectively are a part of natural instincts. Fear is the emotional response to a dangerous situation that not only may affect the body, but also their emotional or mental well-being. Such fear is displayed in each film, and is the largest contributing factor that leads to each Fig. 4 The human storage unit in Daybreakers transformation. Anxiety is the un-easiness to a dangerous situation. Much like Bruce Banner when he is trying to avoid particular confrontations that will lead to an aggressive emotion. That anger/frustration can lead to impulsive and irrational behaviour, as in Daybreakers the population experiences. Depression is closely linked to anger/frustration, with the constant need to survive, it can burden the individual and is a common feeling, one that Bruce experiences on a common basis. Such qualities like depression and anger can lead to loneliness, resulting in illusions conjured by the mind. Similar to how BrundleFly felt in the later stages of his transformation, with his appearance causing a social issue. Additionally and finally, there is 3

guilt. The feeling of regret, that something could have been, a 'what if?' possibility. Whilst this is a common feeling, BrundleFly holds himself responsible for his monstrous actions. The self-defence mechanism, as previously mentioned, is a term once explored by Sigmund Freud, in which he invented three aspects to a single personality. The ego, the id and the superego. The ego deals with reality whilst handling the conflicting needs of the id and the superego, in which the id wants and needs through impulses whereas the superego conceives of a idealistic and moral manner. When the ego cannot meet the satisfaction of demands, that person then feels anxiety. As Freud explained 'anxiety acts as a signal to the ego that things are not going right' (Cherry,2011) further explaining the differentials of the three states of anxiety. Neurotic, reality and moral. Each a fear over the state of mind. BrundleFly is an example of reality. He is afraid of what he has become, knowing that his id has surpassed his superego, his moral judgement. The fear of reality often impacts their well-being, in this case, the suicide of BrundleFly. The Hulk is an example of neurotic, Bruce is afraid of what he can become. He is afraid of losing to his urges and impulses, fearing what could happen if he does not control his ego by balancing his superego. Fear that he will lose to his un/sub-conscious. With Edward Dalton standing as an example of morality. His fear of violating his very own moral principles, lead him closer to the final stages of the metamorphosis. The question of maintaing the same mentality has factored into the the project, but hasn't dictated the direction. This analysis of the mentality of various hybrids has given an indication, as to how much of the original identity of the being would be left after the metamorphosis. As a conclusion the subject of the metamorphosis that is to be combined with a human merely heightens or decreases, dependant on the subjects behaviour, the original mental state of the being.

Illustrations Figure 1. The BrundleFly halfway through transformation. At: http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/62/thefly4.jpg/ (Accessed on: 19/10/11) Figure 2. The Hulk and the anger-filled chaos. At: http://wearemoviegeeks.com/wpcontent/the-incredible-hulk-trailer.jpg (Accessed on: 19/10/11) Figure 3. The entity of Bruce Banner and The Incredible Hulk. At: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2081134080/tt0800080 (Accessed on: 19/10/11) Figure 4. The human storage unit in Daybreakers. At: http://cinematropolis.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/daybreakers1.jpg (Accessed on: 19/10/11) References Ford, D (2008) Why good people do bad things. HarperOne Chopra, K (2011) The Shadow Effect. HarperOne Siegel, C (2011) Discovery. http://dsc.discovery.com/adventure/6-types-of-naturalinstincts.html (Accessed on: 19/10/11) Cherry, K (2011) Psychology. http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/ss/defensemech.htm (Accessed on: 19/10/11) The Incredible Hulk - Ed Norton Tim Roth, New Trailer * iHD (2008) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWWzve8Z90s (Accessed on: 19/10/11) Films Daybreakers (2009) Directed by Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig [film] Lionsgate The Incredible Hulk (2008) Directed by Lous Leterrier [film] Universal Pictures The Fly (1986) Directed by David Cronenberg [film] 20th Century Fox