Werewolves, for as long as we have known about them, are monsters who shape-shift from humans to monsters, making them unable to detect. It’s almost as if werewolves have two identities, its human and wolf counterparts. In Cohen’s thesis, he states that monsters express culture and cultural differences. Monsters embody the fears, anxieties, and desires of a culture. The monster represents something else, and is more metaphorical. “The minster is born only at this metaphoric crossroads, as an embodiment of a certain cultural moment-of a time, a culture, and a place. The monster’s body quite literally incorporates fear, desire, anxiety, and fantasy (ataractic or incendiary), giving them life and an uncanny independence. The monstrous body is pure culture.” Monsters also signify the things that are abnormal in a specific culture or an identity that isn’t well-represented or accepted (Cohen). Werewolves are monsters that have been linked to the study of psychology. Similar to Cohen, I believe that werewolves are monsters, that are actually just regular people that have mental issues and …show more content…
There are the cases of two men, who are thought to be werewolves before they come clean about their acts. One known story is the story of Gilles Garnier, who is a renown serial killer. Garner was a recluse or hermit, but he had a wife. According to the records from his trial, it is known that he suffered from a few mental illnesses, one of which being lycanthropy, but he was still deemed sane enough to stand trial. According to Garnier, he met a man in the woods one day who was able to give him an ointment that allowed him to change into a wolf so he could support his family. He also believed that he made a deal with the devil, which is a common belief among werewolf legends. Garnier strangled, disfigured, and ate his victims, all of whom were children. Garnier’s indictment