Monster: The Ed Gein Story made us realize how generational trauma can ruin lives and how difficult it is to break out of it and put an end to inherited pain. The series didn’t tell us much about Ed Gein’s father, the kind of environment he was brought up in, why he became an alcoholic, or how his actions had an impact on his life or his family. So let’s find out if George Gein was a victim of his own circumstances or if his own actions led him to his demise.
Spoiler Alert
How did George Gein die?
One could argue that George Gein was a victim of his circumstances, but I still wouldn’t place all the blame on his fate. I firmly believe that no matter how dark or difficult life becomes, a person always has the chance to make the right choice and to at least try to move toward a better path. Yes, everyone carries their own sorrows, and at some point in our lives, each of us feels hopeless. But even in those moments, there is always a silver lining, something we can hold onto. The tragedy with George was that he never truly tried to seize that opportunity, and he blamed his own circumstances instead. He let himself drown in his misery. His frequent changes in profession only highlighted his lack of focus and direction, and in a way it was a reflection of the inner chaos he carried.
I agree that his upbringing played a huge role in shaping his sensibilities, being raised in a loveless environment by maternal grandparents who made him feel unwanted at every turn surely left deep wounds on his psyche. There must have been innumerable moments when he felt lonely and abandoned. Yet even with all of that, his choices only increased his suffering. Had he genuinely wanted to, George could have attempted to bring his life back on track. It surely wouldn’t have been easy for him, and childhood traumas would have stayed with him. But he could have done a better job, and surely his life might not have ended in such a tragic way.
Above anything else, alcoholism just made everything even worse and left him in a decrepit state. More than anyone else, Augusta, Henry, or Ed, it was George himself who suffered the most because of it. It cannot be denied that George became his own worst enemy and he completely ruined his life. That was the biggest reason for his downfall, his tragic end. Yes, he did inherit his hardships, but the choices he made, the path he took, made sure that he was never able to bring his life back on track.
In 1914, George moved to Plainfield, as Augusta didn’t like staying in La Crosse. In his last years, he was at the mercy of his family. He stopped working on the farm and spent all his time drowning in his misery, drinking alcohol, bickering about his existence and how his family treated him, and lashing out at them whenever he got an opportunity. He subjected his family to domestic violence, abusing his wife and children whenever he was in a bad mood. I believe that Augusta never really liked him for who he was, and he just validated her feelings through his actions. Though Augusta was another unique specimen, she never really felt guilty of her actions because she had George to pin all the blame on. In fact, George even blamed her for adultery, stating the kind of illusions he harbored and how he just wanted to find a reason to take out his anger on her. Augusta was a mentally unstable woman, but adultery was a vice for her, and she would have never engaged in such activities, if only because of her fanatic religious beliefs.
On April 1, 1940, at the age of sixty-six, George Gein took his last breaths. Alcoholism, frustration, anger, and not having anything to look forward to in his life became the reason for his demise. His demise was rather celebrated by his family, as they got rid of an abusive man who had just become a burden for them. The kids too didn’t have any sort of emotional attachment to him, I believe, and they felt happy that they wouldn’t have to deal with the torture he put them through.
What Led George To Become An Alcoholic?
George Gein lived with his family—his mother, father, and sister—in Coon Valley in Wisconsin. George was just three when his parents and sister died while crossing the Mississippi River. I believe he was too young to understand what had happened, and he would have recovered from the loss had he been raised with a lot of love and affection. But George was brought up by his maternal grandparents, who apparently felt burdened by his existence. He felt unloved, and that feeling created a void within him, something that he was not able to overcome until his last breath. He moved out of their home at a young age and tried his hand at all sorts of professions. He worked as a blacksmith, and then at a tannery, and he also tried carpentry for some time. I believe that he lost his faith in goodness at a very young age, and he could not find his footing. He had become hopeless, and I don’t think that he had anything to look forward to in his life. On top of that, he married a woman whose sensibilities and beliefs were in stark contrast to the life he led. Augusta came from a strict Lutheran household, and I believe since George too was a practicing Lutheran, she decided to get married. But that matrimonial alliance made things even worse for George, as Augusta didn’t treat him well, and in fact, she didn’t even feel that he was worthy of her contempt. Moreover, being unable to find means to provide for his family made Augusta look down upon him even more.
Amidst all the misery inflicted by his circumstances and his own self, George found his escape in alcohol. He didn’t realize when alcoholism destroyed him and made it so that he was never able to get his life back on track.
