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Serial Killer Behavior In The Catbird Seat

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Serial Killer Behavior in “The Catbird Seat”
In James Thurber’s humorist piece “The Catbird Seat”, Erwin Martin proves that you can get away with attempted murder. What causes someone to premeditate murder? With a trusting reputation and many years of diligent work, Erwin Martin gains favor from his colleagues at work when his boss, Ulgine Barrows tells the story of how Mr. Martin tried to kill her in her own apartment. His guile and meticulosity are just a small part of what makes him who he is. He is a quiet and mysterious man who lives alone and follows a daily routine that should not be messed with. He finds purpose, security, and purpose in his work, and when threatened, he escalates and formulates a plan to restore his peace. Mrs. Barrows’ …show more content…

After Martin is deemed innocent, he would join the club of killer criminals who would never get caught. It is safe to say Martin’s homicidal tendencies would not stop with Mrs. Barrows. The serial killer mindset is not something one can switch on and off, it is like a disease, and easily turned on when someone disturbs Martin routine and threatening to his job. Martin will eventually get caught the next time he attempts to get rid of someone who disturbs the peace, or someone might realize his need for psychiatric help. He has become comfortable with who he has become, and the decisions he has made, so now he has to live with those decisions …show more content…

The control freak inside of him caused him to act out in extreme ways when Mrs. Barrows started implementing changes to F & S. He exhibited many of the key characteristics commonly found in serial killers, even before he started planning to kill Ulgine Barrows. When he successfully got away with attempted murder, it made him feel extremely powerful and full of happiness, considering the fact that his superiors never wanted to speak of the incident again and he got the result he wanted in the first place. Since Erwin Martin is a very private man with no friends, and no family, readers might go on to question if Martin has done something like this in the past, since these thoughts didn’t scare him, or if he may try it again in the future if someone else upsets him. It is important for readers to remember that although the story and its characters can be analyzed and critiqued in serious ways, “The Catbird Seat” is a humorist piece meant to hook the readers into a dramatic storyline and give readers a nice

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