1. ) [Parents] Mother: Unknown Father: Dr. Wendell James Spencer | Occupation: Mathematician | Date of Birth: Year is 1917 | Death: September 21, 1994 (77 years old) | Received Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the University of Chicago at the age of 17. | Received his PH.D in Mathematics from Princeton University in New Jersey at the age of 24. | *Spencer's Theorem landed as landmark in number theory. [Siblings] Unknown. However if there had been any siblings of Normans, growing up must have been extremely hard for them as great emphasis was most likely put on Norman and whatever his interests were. ---------- [Norman Spencer] Personality Type: Brilliant, Polite, Caring, Strict, Calm, Rational, Helpless, Pathetic, Determined, Obsessed, Anti-social, Selfish, Pathological Liar, Scared, Helpless, Unstable, Occupation: Renowned Scientist / (Theoretical) Mathematician / (former) Professor Achievements: DuPont Chair in Genetics Relationships: Claire Spencer (wife), Madison Elizabeth Frank (mistress/girlfriend) Family: Mother - Unknown, Father - Dr. Wendell James Spencer, Caitlin Spencer (step-daughter) ---------- 2. ) Several theories can exist for Norman Spencer, but one that I will focus on goes way beyond him just being a typical whack-job when it comes to people standing in his way of perfection. Aspergers Syndrome Keeping in mind that Norman applied himself in the genetics field, it does not seem unscientific to assume that Norman could have suffered from Aspergers Syndrome which is a form of autism. This is not to say that Norman knew of his disorder hence why he focused within the particular field of genetics, but it is there to support the irony behind everything that could be Norman Spencer.Take a look at what we already know about who his father was; a contributing Mathematician who had excelled through college at a rapid speed unlike any average person. Now let me introduce the study that claims Aspergers Syndrome has an 80% chance of being passed from only one parent who has a disorder from the autistic spectrum to a child, and with two parents the chances are even greater. Sticking with the theory that Norman suffered from AS, I find it normal to hold his father liable for Normans genetic makeup. However I would not hold his father accountable for knowing of his own syndrome as his fathers childhood had most likely been celebrated due to the amount of knowledge he already held at what I imagine to be a very young age. His parents most-likely had not thought anything terrible, though unusual, about their sons knowledge and any visitation to or from a doctor would have mostly resulted in an unexplained phenomenon.At the time of Normans birth, the scientific and medical field had traveled what one would assume to be light-years from where it all started, but the negativity that surrounded children who suffered from explainable and unexplainable disorders nearly made the diagnosis of a child embarrassing. On the other hand, with the brilliant mind and work of his father, why on earth would his parents think to question the behaviors he had as a child? In their minds Norman appeared normal. A typical episode of a child taking something non-physical from one of its parents; a son who inherited his fathers brilliance.Now the assumption of Aspergers Syndrome did not come to mind because I dived directly into the realms of autism and read endlessly about the different types of such a disorder. I never thought about Norman Spencer and decided that he was someone who suffered from any kind of disorder, but one thing led to another. Working off of the information I found on his father, I went in search of information on what the role of a Mathematician was and how they got to be what they are in the first place. Of course claiming that all Mathematicians suffer from AS is ridiculous, but for the sake of everything I said so far and the information I already knew about Norman, it just seemed logical. Personality Traits Mathematicians work in the way Norman had. The work of Mathematicians usually falls between two broad classes; theoretical mathematics and applied mathematics with the idea that many theoretical mathematicians are employed at a University; college professor, who divides their time between teaching and researching. Also, because both classes are not rigid in structure, the work within each class overlaps with the other. That seems correct; Mathematicians are Scientists, and a scientist is a scientist. With Mathematicians and Aspergers Syndrome now side to side with each other, focusing on the personality traits of Norman Spencer will begin to fall into place more easily than ever before.For starters, aside from Stan, Normans colleague and friend, the only other people in his life had been his wife Claire and his step-daughter Caitlin. With such a tight-knitted social circle, one would assume that he was simply an anti-social human being, or that his work consumed all of his free time. If one would look at it from the ASs point of view, he might have just decided to just group the individuals in his life and those that he saw on a regular basis in groups of those he felt comfortable talking extensively to and those he felt uncomfortable talking extensively to; almost like some sort of selective mutism.Such is the life of a scientist though, no? They find entertainment by plugging all sorts of numbers in all sorts of equitations in hopes they'll discover a new way of observing something that has already gone under numerous amounts of observation. Entertainment for them does not lie in the exchange of everyday conversations about the winning baseball team from the night before, and if it does, odds are they probably have a scientific explanation for everything that went on during the game.Yet there had had to been more to Norman Spencer than a scientist who only wanted to sit around his classroom (at one time) or his office/ laboratory, breathing in the fascinations of science and everything else it had to offer--hence why there had been a Mrs. Spencer. We know Claires side of the story; after one of her performances she met Norman and fell in love with a brilliant scientist, but we never knew about Normans side of the story nor did we think much about it after taking in the physical beauty of Claire. And even though through a heated argument Claire lashed out at Norman with talks of him wanting the perfect family and the perfect wife, there's almost a scientific truthto what lies beneath. The Arts and the Sciences Go Together The arts and the sciences go together; its the sense of ideas and the sense of calculations. Some Mathematicians consider themselves to be creative artists while everyone within the arts considers themselves to be just that as well. Before Claire had given up her career to be part of the perfection that she insisted Norman wanted, she had been a musician who had toured with friends and colleagues good enough to make it inside the walls of Carnegie Hall.Still the two fields of study hardly seem to go together when one thinks of where people end up in their lives. Musicians usually marry other musicians, if not, then singers or music producers, or somebody not directly linked to the aspect of music production, but those still within more or less the same social circles, such as actors or athletes. Their lifestyles tend to be different; they usually keep larger social circles and how they present themselves is the very basis of the company they keep on a professional level; ie: a classical musician will correspond with a rock band before they agree with a pop singer or a rapper as not only their musical tastes are different, but their creation of the musical process is as well (ie: some musical artists know how to play instruments, others do not.)Scientists surround themselves with fellow scientists or other forms of educators such as teachers or doctors. Their biggest turn-on is knowledge and most likely a sense of properness or some sort of formal structure. Their lifestyles could be thought of as being quiet and reserved, finding more pleasure in knowing about things that the average person could or would not think to understand, and due to their generous income, a scientist who married someone else would either be secure with what they can provide for themselves, the other person, and their families, or that their income along with their spouses income would be enough to feel secure and happy, while still having enough to donate to charities, or most likely, research organizations.Normans previous relationships are unknown to us, but we are aware that Claires first husband had passed away; leaving her and their daughter behind. We are also aware that Claires first husband had been a musician like she; it goes right back to the average couples being together because of their social circles. Of course opposites attract, and in the case of Norman and Claire Spencer, thats just simply what happened regardless of the connection known between the arts and the sciences.Perhaps it was something Norman had said to her that created butterflies in her stomach, or perhaps it was something Claire said to make Norman feel she was the only woman he ever wanted to marry. Either way, whatever happened slowly, but surely ended as soon as Claire figured out who Madison Elizabeth Frank was and who she was to Norman.Madison was not only a college student that happened by one day and found Dr. Norman Spencer incredibly charming and intelligent. Of course she could have been just an average college student, but her mothers words told otherwise when Claire went to meet with her. Before Norman took her life and she turned into the mystery of the missing girl, Madison was accepted to Princeton. The same university that Dr. Spencer Sr. had attended to receive his PH.D degree. Clearly there could be several reasons as to how she changed from New Jersey to Massachusetts, but I believe another theory is in store. Coincidence? With Normans fathers obituary in the newspaper only four years prior to Madison meeting Norman, who is to say that her intense interest in the field of science had not taken her to the obituary? Who is to say that one of her friends or a fellow student had not made a mention of his passing or introduced her to his life after his death and that this new-found knowledge of his work wowed her? Perhaps even one of her professors might have discussed his lifes work during a class. It could even have been that his work had already provided her work with resources and details. Remember, Dr. Spencer Sr. obtained his PH.D from Princeton. Whatever the case might have been, her discovery and/or knowledge of the late Dr. Spencer would have also let on to those he left behind; maybe a wife, but most definitely a son. To Madison, Norman had probably been more than just the son of a brilliant scientist. Her interest in him maybe came from her level of maturity at a young age that maybe was produced by the fact her father left when she was 12 years old. Or perhaps, going back to the types of people that are of spousal interest to fellow scientists, Norman was someone she wanted to call her own because he shared much of the same interests she most likely had.Also, from what we know about Madison outside of her being the other woman and from details that might have gone over-looked (overheard), she was out to ruin him when he didnt give her what she wanted; she even threatened to kill Claire as well as herself. Of course saying one thing is different than doing one thing, but with the thought alone and with the knowledge of Madisons background, she would have probably gone through with it. Getting rid of Claire would have been as easy as Norman thought it to be. In fact, who is to say that Norman hadn't taken Madison's idea? If you think about it, the possibilities are endless But this is about Norman and Norman cheated on the only wife he ever had. He cheated on her with one of his students, and sure it was wrong, but maybe at some point Norman was hurting from his fathers death four years before his relationship with Madison. Maybe Madison understood what it was like to lose a father in some respect that Claire was unable to understand. Clearly there had been something about Normans father that made him sensitive to the topic, but we were never told what it was and the reasoning behind it could mean a number of things such as past arguments with his father that never were resolved, or a sense of failure he might have felt from his father, or a silent jealousy of his fathers work. Again, the possibilities are endless.Even so, Norman on some levels was a pathological liar. Of course the only questions he had lied on were those that dealt with his knowing Madison and the relationship they had, but I want to bring everyone back to Aspergers Syndrome and how though AS within certain individuals makes them unable to tell a lie, it turns other individuals with AS into full-fledged liars.Norman knew what he was doing from the moment he started his relationship with Madison to the very moment he tried to break it off with her and ended up killing her in order to protect his work. Despite what Jody, Claires friend had said to her about seeing Norman looking terrified at the thought of losing her when he stood next to her at the hospital after the car crash, it all had to have been an act. A person who would kill to protect their work and their reputation is on a greater level of selfishness than an average human being. A Mothers Love During the end of the film, Norman puts on a somewhat sad expression when he tells Claire that all he ever wanted her to do was to love him and to be proud of him. Earlier in the movie during his argument with Claire he childishly hollers that she had given everything to her daughter, Caitlin.Whatever caused both reactions from him could stem from whatever relationship he had with his mother. At the very same time, his relationship with his mother might have not existed because she was too busy being around her friends in whatever high society club there had been back in the day. His relationship with his father might have not existed either though they had a lot in common, because his fathers line of work and personality as well as his could-be disorder might have consumed him. Perhaps Normans parents never cared much for him; maybe the house-help raised him or tended to him when he needed average child-like conversation or care. Maybe he was sent away to boarding school, who knows? Conclusion To strip Norman Spencer of his scientific background and his assumed disorder, one thing that remains is the type of person that he was and the type of man he was capable of being; the type of man he came to be. From the very first minute we see him, we see that he is a calm and collected man who cares and feels affection for his wife. We also sense his understanding for his step-daughters departure to college as well as the understanding he has towards Claire and her empty nest syndrome. Understandably, we are aware of his pressures from work and the worry he feels for his wife who cant figure out what is happening to her. Sympathetically we take into consideration his new found short-temper and his irritations because of Claires possible delusions. Wrongfully, we try to understand his point of view for not only cheating on Claire, but killing Madison. And apologetically, we find a form of peace knowing that he did not survive in the end. Show less «