Reflections and Traps of Deception in the Packing Scene of 'Psycho' Anonymous College

One of the most essential scenes in Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock is the scene that takes place at the very beginning of the film. Marion Crane is packing her bags to run away from her seemingly well-off life. She is in a steady relationship with her boyfriend Sam, has held a steady yet clearly unfulfilling and unprofitable job for 10 years and is described by her boss as “trustworthy”. Trustworthy enough to deliver 40,000 dollars cash to the bank on her way home, however Marion has become impatient with waiting on the life she wants with Sam. With this responsibility comes a crucial decision that must be made by Marion and though she is a generally good person, Marion decides to take the money and run. The decision that Marion makes here, changes her entire demeanor and the choices she must make from here on. She is no longer the trustworthy employee that her boss has described, nor the sensible woman that Sam wants to marry once his debts are paid off. The decision to run away with the money clearly highlights Alfred Hitchcock’s belief in the duality of human existence, that not all people are entirely good or entirely evil.

The fact that a seemingly good person like Marion would make a poor decision like this is evidence that...