In chapter 17 of “A Head Full of Ghost,” Tremblay introduces the concept of the Hawthorne effect in where the boundaries of possession and psychosis are blurred even further. If you are not aware of what the effect entails, it consists of a reaction from an individual that changes their behavior due to their awareness of being observed. We witness this through the introduction of reality TV and how it becomes a factor in how the family changes their ways of living.
Initially, the family’s life description can be stated as chaotic and catastrophic. The family was going through a crisis that really looked like there was no hope in resolving Marjorie’s issue. The mother was put into withdraw in neglecting the idea that her daughter was experiencing some form of possession while the father was reluctant in adopting new ideas other than religion. Merry’s naïve character just furthered issues by letting Marjorie tattoo sinister stories into her mind. Most importantly, Marjorie’s mental illness or possession continuing to break down the family. However, it is not until the TV crew comes where we witness a change in character in all characters. Specifically, Marjorie which comes as a surprise.
Throughout the novel, we expect and are gullible to the idea the Marjorie is truly possessed based on her actions, yet when Merry interacts with her at the basement, the “truth” is that she is not actually possessed. I find it very interesting how not only Marjorie but everyone else in the family experiences the Hawthorne effect when they suddenly are aware that their being watched by cameramen. Suddenly, the number of possessed acts that we were being fed in the beginning has come to a stop. There was little to no stories that were being told about Marjorie from Merry about her being abnormal. The majority of the possessed-like events come from the writers from the reality TV and Merry’s willingness to give into the TV’s hunger for content to make things up. Plus, the idea that we find that most possessed tropes to be willing to show their true selves is what makes this idea more confusing.
When we saw The Exorcist by William Friedkin, the main protagonist Regan was possessed by Pazuzu’s demon in which the demon was willing to show their true identity regardless of an audience. Plus, in other films involving the supernatural, the main trope is that the demon continuously attempts to show their identity to those who live in the home. Therefore, I question why Marjorie has not shown more of her possessed character if a demon would want to establish their identity to scare those who are involved and feed off their negative energy. Despite the common tropes, it is still unsolved whether Majorie is truly possessed and as we continue through the story, it becomes less probable that she is truly possessed but rather experiencing a mental illness that is causing her to have a personality identity issue.