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The gate of Janus by Ian Brady

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The gate of Janus by Ian Brady Arianna Macias Lynn Gun

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Introduction The Gates of Janus by Ian Brady gives an exhilarating expose of serial crimes, challenging the perspectives from which the crimes ought to be viewed. The author offers his personal criminal experience and profiles other serial killers in the process. Brady appears to be clearly admiring some of the criminals while detesting others based on the quality of their jobs (Brady et al., 2015). According to Ian Brady, the society should permit moral relativism that promotes self-interests as opposed to collective moral standards. For example, the body of Brady’s own work contains a pseudo-philosophical exploration of what “crime” does and doesn’t mean. Here, Brady lays out his theories of moral relativism, all of which take for granted an individual’s ability to reject the dominant standards of society in favor of self-interests, no matter how depraved. In these constructions, people follow blindly, follow with intention, or become leaders themselves and the leaders often have blood on their hands. Therefore, to better understand the author’s reasoning, this paper looks into the primary assertions of the writer while discussing both the merits and demerits of the book. The Overview In the Gates of Janus, the author provides a two-part discussion and analysis of serial murders. In the first part of the book, Brady provides a seven-chapter analysis of serial murders, outlining how the perpetrators of the crime ought to be treated in the society. Once Brady has argued that depravity is relative, he’s able to enter into discussions of fellow serial killers, dissections that allow for the possibility that the figures that plague society must fall victim to ethical hyperbole. Bundy becomes a tragic figure. Richard Ramirez had his reasons. Panzram’s crimes were a logical result of lifelong social alienation and abuse at the hands of cultural

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authority figures. We create killers by encouraging inequity, he suggests, and the executioners we have formed march toward us daily. Also, in the second part of the book, the author analyses eleven murders of other serial killers, shedding light on the psychology behind the homicides. The defiance of collective morality by creating a set of ethical standards among serial killers is the central theme of the first part of Brady’s book. Brady argues that the serial killers are not only heroic, but also very courageous individuals operating within their own sets of standards (Brady et al., 2015. However, contrary to his claim, by the eye of the reader that only see Brady as a serial killer the book is written from the perspective of a person seeking relevance and esteem by preying on the most defenseless people in the society. From the introduction of the book, one would expect the book to provide an all-inclusive explanation of why the author became a killer. However, Brady only focuses on debating cultural beliefs about serial killers and advocating for their recognition in the modern society. The book has also some contradictions. For example, the author portrays the Green River Assassin as a highly intelligent individual. However, after the suspect is eventually arrested, it becomes clear that the serial killer’s IQ is unnaturally low. Brady views most citizens as a bunch of charlatans who are afraid of the moral societal rules and are hiding their true identities by adhering to the established cultural set ups (Sharma, 2018). Unapologetically, the Moors’ Murderer views religious, societal, and moral boundaries as chains and regards the contemporary culture as a breeding ground for crimes. He states that only those free from the shackles of morality like himself can provide detailed insights into the criminal minds. Therefore, Chapter by chapter, Brady reveals gruesome and most odious crimes he committed in the past. On the other hand, the author devotes several chapters in the second part of his book to psychologically profile some of the infamous serial killers, including Ted Bundy and John

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Wayne Gacy. The writer sheds a lot of light from a serial killer’s perspective on the various aspects of killers’ psychology, helping researchers to understand the intelligence and motives of serial killers (Brady et al., 2015).His arguments dismantle the cultural delusion of the vice as he strives in his writing to show the significance of the serial murderers in the modern society. Merits For Brady, the term “serial killer” is a misnomer. Moreover, he spots a disconnection between any analysis of a killer's motivation and the actual event or process of killing. Generalizing his own experiences and motivations to other killers, Brady argues that murder serves as a cover for the "dramatic" victimizations killers perpetrate upon their victims. Discussing crimes committed by himself and his girlfriend Myra Hindley, Brady asserts that killing and hiding the bodies on the Moors most importantly silenced their prey, thereby preventing any reports of the couple's crimes. Brady and Hindley made photographs and audio recordings of their abuse of young children as a means of reliving crimes enacted on living bodies. For them, Brady argues, murder itself offered no special excitement. Murder is "a necessary conclusion to an exercise of power and will ... a categorical imperative. A wearisome cleaning up after the fear" (Brady et al., 2015). Brady’s assertion of moral relativism, as opposed to the allegiance to specific individuals or moral institutions, is resoundingly clear throughout the book. He indicates that he values the individual systems of principles as opposed to a collective set of regulations. Therefore, the writer succeeds in reinforcing his belief in a manner that the reader understands and clearly identifies with (Brady et al., 2015). Additionally, the Gates of Janus presents a fascinating aspect of serial murders as the writer intelligently shows the disconnect between the analysis of the killer’s motive and the actual murder. Brady argues that the use of the term ‘serial killer’ is misleading since it implies that the primary objective for any killer is murder. As mentioned, Brady indicates that contrary to general perceptions, murder in itself offers no excitement and is

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only a consequence of the killer’s willingness to dramatically victimize their victims (Shanafelt & Pino, 2015). Therefore, the reasons behind serial murders are often not as simple as people believe them to be. Brady creates tries to deconstruct the notions about serial killers from a unique perspective while discussing various themes common in a lot of serial murder cases such as friendship and hypnosis. The writer notes that in order to understand human character, one need to first investigate the extent of depraved human consciousness. The writer’s insight is based on his personal life story, readings and observation that leads him to discuss interesting accounts of sexual abuse, torture, and murder of minors including two teenagers and a child that his girlfriend Myra Hindley and himself killed. He also describes several other stories of serial killers and serial crimes from a personal perspective (Brady et al., 2015). The book has an easyto-follow format that carries the reader from one chapter to the next as the writer analyzes the topic. The two sections are very distinct so that the reader understands that the first part deals with the writer’s own story while the last part looks at other psychopathic killers like himself. However, Katherine Ramsland views Brady a postmodern nihilist who believes that some people in the society can rise above the established moral standards and do the things they find fitting (Ramsland, 2016).Ramsland believes that his ideas should be disregarded sine the author glorifies a crime that should be condemned, regardless of the society’s level of social development. Shortcomings Ian Brady claims that Henry Lee Lucas developed the murderous resentment towards the mother since she betrayed him and allowed the father to severely abuse him. This claim is far from truth since Henry Lucas’s own account shows that his father did not abuse him (Jentzen,

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2017). Lucas’ father lost both of his legs when he was hit by a freight train as a railroad employee and was often abused by his wife Viola (Williams, 2017). Therefore, Henry Lucas’s behavior could have been motivated by the treatment of his mother instead of the father. Additionally, he illustrates the barbaric treatments that prisoners experience in prison as he describes the sufferings of Carl Panzram and shows the prevalence of such behaviors in today’s world. Many scholars fail to agree with this view arguing that Brady himself experienced luxury and comfort in prison during the twelve years he served there, giving him ample time to write and narrate a compelling story (Jentzen, 2017). Evidence proves that Brady was even allowed to have a computer in his cell during his time in prison at least on one occasion, which is direct opposite of the treatment he describes. Conclusion The author offers a noteworthy perspective that allows the readers to see the world from the perspective of a brutal psychopathic killer with the highest contempt for human life. The book portrays Brady as a person with grandiose dreams who array themes, such as hypnosis, relativism, and the representations of the mastermind criminal. Which if anything calls for a deconstruction of the myth of the serial killer. Brady's text offers a productive struggle to dismiss the notion of evil as an essence, and The Gates of Janus provides a fascinating means of tracking this line of argument in the mind of a controversial criminal. Overall this book gives the reader an insight into the mind of a serial killer. Brady is honest with the reader that serial killers are great liars and intelligent individuals. Overall, the book is entertaining, informational, and truthful because it is an analysis of the psychology of serial killing by an unapologetic serial killer himself.

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7 References

Brady, I., Keightley, A., Wilson, C., & Sotos, P. (2015). The gates of Janus: Serial killing and its analysis.Port Townsend, WA: Feral House. Gurian, A. E. (2015). Reframing serial murder within empirical research: Offending and adjudication patterns of male, female and partnered serial killers. SAGE. 61(5), 544-560. Jentzen, M. J. (2017). Micro disasters: The case of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Acad Forensic Pathol.7(3),667. Ramsland, K. (2016). To be or not to be: Philosophical serial killers. Retrieved form www.psychologytoday.com Shanafelt, R., & Pino, N. W. (2015). Rethinking serialmurder, spree killing and atrocities. Beyond the usual distinctions. Basingstoke: Taylor & Francis Ltd. Sharma, M. (2018). The development of a serial killer: A grounded theory study. Retrieved fromhttps://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/2720 Williams, D. J. (2017). Entering the minds of serial murderers: The application of forensic leisure to homicide research. Leisure Sciences. 39(4), 376-383.

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