A Possiblity: Marion, Alive, as Norman's Neighbor

A musing.

Psycho is full of harsh "what ifs," and here's one:

"What if Marion Crane never stole that money?"

Well, she never would have taken the long drive from Phoenix Arizona to Fairvale California, never would have been re-directed by rain to the Bates Motel, never would have met Norman Bates, and never would have taken that fatal shower.

Instead -- as the letter Sam writes to Marion in the hardware store tells us -- it looks like Sam would have indeed proposed marriage, and indeed brought Marion to live with him in Fairvale. "So what if we have to live in a room in the back of the store...at least we'd be happy," he writes. Or something like that.

So let's say Sam and Marion got married. And Marion moved to Fairvale. And lived in the back room with Sam. And perhaps helped around the hardware store, or found some other small local job(businesses always need secretaries, bookkeepers.)

Well, under those circumstances, Marion would have a "neighbor" -- 15 miles away -- in Norman Bates.

Now, Norman's reputation was as a "hermit" who lived all alone and rarely came to town. But he would come sometimes. I'll bet Sam already had him as a hardware store customer from time to time. Back then, a hardware store is where you would get a lot of things you get at, say, Target, today. Norman might come in for paint to work on the motel. Or nails.

Or he might come buy a knife(Sam sells them, you can see them.)

And one day, under this scenario, Norman might just meet Marion Loomis. I can picture her manning the main counter(Bob has the day off to go eat his lunch.) I can picture a shy Norman buying some bug spray; Marion nicely engaging him in conversation, Norman nicely replying.

And then what? Who knows? Perhaps Norman would keep coming to the store, keep talking to Marion...until Sam shooed him away.

My point: the entire reason Marion Crane crossed paths with Norman Bates(fatally) is because he lived 15 miles from Fairvale, and that's where Marion's lover Sam lived. Had Marion never met Sam("What if?") she never would have driven 800 miles or so from Phoenix and met Norman. But she did. And she died.

Under this alternate scenario, Phoenix resident Marion still ends up in Fairvale -- dangerously close to a homicidal maniac 15 miles away -- but might very well have lived safely near him for years.

What if?