Editing Norman Bates (section)

==Characterization==
The character Norman Bates in ''Psycho'' was loosely based on two people. First was the real-life murderer [[Ed Gein]], about whom Bloch later wrote a fictionalized account,<ref name="Mental Floss">{{Cite news|first=Stacy|last=Conradt|url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/49524/boys-best-friend-his-mother-everything-you-need-know-about-norman-bates|title=Everything You Need to Know About Norman Bates|work=[[Mental Floss]]|publisher=Dennis Media|location=New York City|date=March 18, 2013|access-date=August 9, 2017}}</ref> "The Shambles of Ed Gein", in 1962. (The story can be found in ''Crimes and Punishments: The Lost Bloch, Volume 3''). Second, it has been indicated by several people, including Noel Carter (wife of [[Lin Carter]]) and [[Chris Steinbrunner]], as well as allegedly by Bloch himself, that Norman Bates was partly based on Calvin Beck, publisher of ''[[Castle of Frankenstein]]''.<ref name="Mental Floss"/>

The characterization of Norman Bates in the novel and the movie differ in some key areas. In the novel, Norman is in his mid-to-late 40s, short, overweight and homely. In the movie, he is in his mid-20s, tall, slender, and handsome. Reportedly, when working on the film, Hitchcock decided that he wanted audiences to be able to sympathize with Norman and genuinely like the character, so he made him more of a "boy next door".<ref name = "Leigh">{{cite book|first=Janet|last=Leigh|author-link=Janet Leigh|title=Psycho : Behind the Scenes of the Classic Thriller|publisher=Harmony Press|location=Easton, Pennsylvania|date=1995|isbn=978-0-517-70112-6|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/psychobehindscen00leig}}</ref> In the novel, Norman becomes "Mother" after getting drunk and passing out; in the movie, he remains sober before switching personalities. <!-- The following sentence is in dispute and lacks a reference: Finally, in the novel Mary Crane is "Mother"'s first victim, whereas in the film and its sequels, it is revealed that "Mother" had killed twice before.-->

In the novel, Norman is well-read in [[occult]] and esoteric authors such as [[P.D. Ouspensky]] and [[Aleister Crowley]]. He is aware that "Mother" disapproves of these authors as being against religion.