In the film Little Murders by Jules Feiffer, the main characters are defined by how they adapt to their physical and social environments. These characters behave in ways that insure their survival and reduce their anxieties. The film focuses on Alfred Chamberlain’s psychological journey. As we meet Alfred, he is being ‘beaten-up’ by a gang, and refuses to fight back. He has been ‘beaten-up’ by society, and is living without true passions or desires. His beaten-down attitude is symbolized by his daily pursuit of photographing dog feces instead of people. Because he is numb to the outside world, Alfred is empty and alone. He does not know how to ‘feel’, and says he does not know what love is. He is functioning in a robotic manner in a world gone mad. Alfred withdraws from society, and is living an isolated existence in a small apartment in New York City.

     Alfred meets Patsy Newquist (his future wife), who is infuriated by his apathy (Alfred calls himself a ‘devout apathist’). She is determined to transform him into her ideal man. Patsy is the antithesis of Alfred – the quintessential dominant personality. She is an unshakeable optimist, and does not allow society’s violence or declining moral standards to lessen her enthusiasm for life. She inspires Alfred to accompany her on fun-filled outings, and encourages him to play golf and tennis, and go horseback-riding and swimming. Alfred is beginning to trust Patsy (and her worldview), and starts coming out of his shell.

     Patsy does not approve of Alfred the way he is, but as the person she wants him to be. She sees him as a fighter, a person with feelings, a lover, and a husband with whom she can have half-a-dozen children. She is trying to mold Alfred into ‘a real man’, in the same way Henry Higgins molds Eliza Doolittle into ‘a lady’ in Pygmalion.

     Patsy has traditional values and a stable career as an interior designer (she is also ‘designing the interior’ of Alfred’s mind). Because she is twenty-seven years old, she believes her chances of getting married are diminishing. She is driven to succeed, and does not consider failure as an option. Patsy accepts societal fictions and places her trust in ‘the system’. She does not allow the problems of the world to get her down. Her philosophy of life is clear: without a zest for life, what is the point of living?

     Eventually, Patsy invites Alfred home to meet the family. Her mother Marjorie is the last of the ‘Donna Reed’ type of mother. Her father Carol hates his feminine name, and is outraged by police corruption and societal decay. Her younger brother Kenny is a troubled homosexual who pops in and ‘out of the closet’, tackles Patsy, and licks her face. After meeting the family, Patsy and Alfred decide to get married.

     The marriage ceremony takes place in an existentialist church. Reverend Dumas presides over the service and speaks about marriage, society, and his philosophy of life. He tells the congregation - whatever people say and do - is ‘ok’. However, his honesty goes too far when he tells the congregation about Kenny’s homosexuality, and Carol’s attempt to bribe him to include the name of the Deity in the service. Reverend Dumas tells Alfred he plans on keeping Carol’s money, although he did not mention the Deity. According to Feiffer - if everything people say and do is ‘ok’ - then, betrayal, dishonesty, violence, corruption, greed and murder are also ‘ok’. After the service is over, Alfred leaves on a trip to visit his parents.

     Alfred has not seen his parents for several years, and they greet him with an awkward handshake. He asks them questions about his childhood because he has no memory of anything happenning to him before his nineteenth birthday. He sets up a tape-recorder and begins interviewing them. His parents are paranoid about being recorded “for posterity”, and cite the Supreme Court’s ruling against wire-tapping. His parents are trying to evade Alfred’s questions, which were given to him by Patsy. When asked a question, they paraphrase a famous psychologist, or say they do not remember. It is obvious that Alfred never received any love or affection from his parents. He tells them he does not want to take-up any more of their time and leaves.

     Upon his return, Alfred tells Patsy he worships her. Alfred’s submissive personality is worshipping Patsy’s dominant personality, and the foundations are being laid for a co-dependent (neurotic) relationship. Meanwhile, as Alfred is revealing his first feeling for Patsy, she is assassinated by an unknown gunman. Alfred is devastated and retreats deeply within himself.

     After Patsy’s death, Alfred lives with the Newquists. He suffers through a zombie-like depression, but eventually snaps out of it. One day, he visits Central Park and is feeling revitalized by the continuation of life in New York City. He begins photographing people again, and is experiencing a sense of oneness with nature, the city and other human beings. He is feeling exuberant and at peace with himself. However, these positive feelings are short-lived, as Alfred buys a gun and returns to the Newquist’s apartment.  Carol loads the gun and all three men fire out the window causing the deaths of three innocent people.

     One of the shooting victims is Lieutenant Practice who has been investigating 345 murders. As the title of the film indicates, these murders are considered ‘little’ because society is growing accustomed to daily killing-sprees. People have become desensitized, and the once huge number of 345 unsolved murders, is now perceived as a ‘little’ number of murders. Feiffer is saying that people can adapt (on a large scale) to: violence, blackouts, muggings, phone breathers, police corruption, and anything else that insures their survival. All types of deviant behavior can be tolerated by society, when no other social alternatives are available. If necessary, people will cling to the remnants of a decaying social order, rather than have no order at all. To cope with their anxieties, people will repress their fears, insecurities, paranoia and hostilities. However, the day will come when they can no longer repress their feelings, and they reach the breaking point. This is what happens to Judge Stern, Lieutenant Practice, Carol, Kenny and Alfred.

     After the shootings, Alfred devolves into his animal nature. He is behaving like a Neanderthal and begins killing his innocent prey. Carol and Kenny are devolving along with him, and all three men rejoice in their victory of the hunt. They sit down at the dinner table and Alfred is throwing food around, jumping up and down, and eating like an animal. Feiffer is telling us, the ‘family group’ of primitive man is returning, while civilized, self-conscious man is destroying himself 

                                   References

Brodsky, J. (Producer), & Feiffer, J. (Writer). (1971). Little murders [Motion Picture].
(Available from Key Video, division of CBS/Fox, Farmington Hills, MI).