Tim Burtons Edward Scissorhands as a Psychological
Allegory
by Cory Sampson
Edward Scissorhands was the first film directed by Tim Burton where
he was also the story-writer. For the story of Edward Scissorhands,
he worked with Caroline Thompson; this was their first film
together, though the pair collaborated on several other projects
after Edward Scissorhands. Tim Burtons reputation as a film-maker
has achieved something of a cult status; the dark and sometimes
disturbing imagery employed in many of his films can either
alienate or elevate a person, depending on their preference; Edward
Scissorhands is also something of a cult film. His unique and
recognizable visual art and tendency to sympathize with the
outsider has led some to see Burton as an auteur. The singularity
of his movies may have less to do with Burton as auteur, and more
to do with the people commonly involved in his films; musician
Danny Elfman, costume designer Colleen Atwood, and actress Winona
Ryder are a few examples of some Burton collaborators involved with
Burton projects aside from Edward Scissorhands. Nevertheless, this
film seems to aptly support the notion of Burton as an auteur, as
the allegorical structure of the film is supported by its
cinematography, and its message is in keeping with the common theme
of disability and the well-meaning outsider often explored by
Burton in both films and books; here, it seems as though Burton
has, either accidentally or intentionally, constructed a
near-perfect allegory of a man afflicted with the autistic spectrum
disorder known as Aspergers Syndrome.
Aspergers Syndrome has recently been the center of much attention;
the disorder was reported in 1944 by physician Hans Asperger, at
around the same time autism was being discovered. It was not until
1994 however, that Aspergers Syndrome was added to the Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), in its fourth
edition. Before then, many individuals with the syndrome went
undiagnosed, or were misdiagnosed with either Attention Deficit
Disorder, or other similar disorders (Kirby). The disorder is
characterized by severe impairment in social faculties,
particularly in recognition of social or emotional cues (empathy),
and in social or emotional reciprocity. Often, individuals with
Aspergers Syndrome desire social interaction, but are unable to
perform socially due to this deficit in interpreting subtle and
unwritten social rules. Often individuals with Aspergers Syndrome
will excel in one particular intellectual subject, which they
pursue with abnormal intensity and focus. In adults with the
disorder, a lifetime of social retardation can lead to withdrawal
from social situations, focussing on their work.
The character of Edward Scissorhands seems to fit the profile of an
individual with the disorder. At the beginning of the film, he is
isolated and withdrawn in a highly ornate mansion overlooking a
bright pastel-coloured suburban neighbourhood. He works intensely
on his lawn sculptures, which are fashioned down to intricate
detail. He is taken into the neighbourhood by Peg Boggs, his real
social awakening. The transition is confusing, and he has trouble
adjusting, yet he desires to be loved and to socialize (his first
words to Peg are dont go, suggesting a desire for social contact
in lieu of isolation). He is admired for his talent as gardener and
hairdresser (which his scissor hands make exceptionally easy), and
yet his manner is disaffected or sometimes inappropriate (as in the
scene where Joyce Monroe unsuccessfully tries to seduce him). He is
eventually coerced into breaking into a house, under the suggestion
of Kim Boggs. When he is arrested, he is examined by a psychiatrist
who says that he will be alright out in the world. After the
community turns against him, and he again runs afoul of the law, he
returns to the mansion again to live in isolation from the
world.
These details, when symbolism is applied with a psychoanalytical
approach to the character of Edward Scissorhands, reveals the
allegorical nature of this film. The most obvious symbol is the set
of scissors Edward has for hands. These represent his social
faculties, and the difficulties they present to him. Throughout the
film, Edward is shown to be greatly impaired when it comes to
everyday activities, such as dressing, using eating utensils, or
turning a doorknob. While this could be taken simply as allegory
for physical disability, there are a few other instances which
suggest social impairment as it occurs with Aspergers Syndrome.
Edward is constantly cutting and scarring his own face
accidentally; this scarring could represent the emotional scarring
of failed social attempts caused by inability to subtly manipulate
social situations.
While driving home with Peg, he reaches across with his hand to
point at something, causing Peg to yell with distress. He is
embarrassed afterward with his behaviour, once it is apparent he
has done something wrong. His scissors actively impair him from
becoming close to a person romantically; Kim Boggs asks Edward to
hold him, to which he replies, I cant. This is also a desire but
an inability to reciprocate emotionally. This is perhaps mitigated
by the editing, where in the next scene, we cut back in time to a
memory of Edwards inventor dying before being able to give him the
hands he needs to manipulate (or, in this allegorical reading,
function socially). The ice sculptures are perhaps an attempt to
show affection in an indirect and demonstrative way; he makes a
statue of Kim as an angel, and she dances about in the snow that
flies from it as he sculpts. Though he cannot connect with an
individual on a reciprocative and empathetic level, he can still
make affection known through an outward display of it. Though he
cannot touch Kim directly without hurting her, he can touch her
through the snow that falls upon her. Here, the scissors represent
an AS individuals attempt to compensate for social deficit with
other more advanced mental faculties.
