Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory introduced the concept of the Oedipal complex, which posits that a child's desire for the opposite-sex parent is a natural and universal phenomenon. In the context of the mother-son relationship, this complex can manifest as a son's unconscious desire for his mother's love and approval, often accompanied by feelings of guilt, anxiety, and rivalry with the father. This paradigm has been extensively explored in literature and cinema, particularly in works that examine the psychological tensions and conflicts that arise between mothers and sons.
Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) is the ultimate victim of the Devouring Mother—even though she is dead. Hitchcock’s genius was to make the mother a corpse and a voice, a rotting puppet master in a rocking chair. “A boy’s best friend is his mother,” Norman says with a chilling smile. The film’s twist—that Norman has internalized his mother, becoming her to kill any woman he desires—is a psychotic break of the Oedipal drive. The mother-son relationship here is a closed loop of murder, jealousy, and eternal, ghastly union. Norman can never leave; he is literally inhabited by her. sinhala wela katha mom son