Emily Carroll’s His Face All Red is a haunting and unsettling short horror comic that explores themes of murder, guilt, and duality. At its core, the comic is about the battle between our inner primal urges and our outer civilized selves. In this article, we will analyze the meaning behind His Face All Red by looking at the story, characters, symbolism, and artwork.
Summary of the Story
The comic opens with the unnamed narrator encountering his doppelganger, an exact copy of himself, in the forest. Startled, he follows the doppelganger home and sees him interacting with his family as if he belongs there. That night, the narrator murders his doppelganger brutally with an axe. However, the next day the doppelganger reappears, forcing the narrator to continuously murder him over and over again.
The repetitive murders slowly drive the narrator insane with guilt and paranoia. In a crazed state, he even murders his brother out of unfounded suspicion. The story ends with the narrator completely transformed into a different person, the primal killer within now fully replacing his civilized self. The final panel shows his face all red, consumed by bloodlust.
Characters
There are three main characters in His Face All Red:
The Narrator – The unnamed man who encounters and murders his doppelganger. He represents the civilized ego.
The Doppelganger – The exact copy of the narrator. He represents the primal id.
The Brother – The narrator’s brother who is murdered out of paranoid suspicion. Another victim of the narrator’s growing madness.
Analysis of Key Symbols
The Doppelganger – The doppelganger is the most important symbol, representing the repressed primal urges within the narrator’s psyche. The act of murdering the doppelganger is the narrator trying to suppress his id. However, its continual reappearance shows the futility of this repression.
The Axe – The axe is used to murder the doppelganger and the brother. It represents a loss of control and giving in to violent primal instincts. The axe is an instrument of the narrator’s growing madness.
Blood – Blood appears frequently, showing the narrator’s growing hunger for violence. In the final panel, the narrator’s face is all red with blood, completely transformed into his murderous id.
The Forest – The initial encounter with the doppelganger happens in the forest, representing the unconscious mind. The forest is where the civilized ego first confronts the primal id.
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| The Doppelganger | The primal id |
| The Axe | Violent primal urges |
| Blood | Hunger for violence |
| The Forest | The unconscious mind |
Analysis of the Artwork
The artwork in His Face All Red powerfully complements the disturbing story. Here are some key aspects:
– Mostly black, white and red color scheme – creates an eerie, unsettling mood
– Heavy use of shadows – visually represents the darkness in the narrator’s mind
– Depictions of violence – brutal, bloody scenes reinforce the horror
– Distorted panels – communicate the narrator’s growing insanity
– Sketchy linework – gives an unrefined, raw feel matching the primal themes
– Facial closeups – emphasizes emotions like guilt, paranoia, bloodlust
The artwork is very evocative and immerses you in the narrator’s troubled psychology and descent into madness. It skillfully reinforces the story’s exploration of duality and repression.
Main Themes and Meaning
Looking at the various elements of His Face All Red, we can interpret several key themes that convey the meaning behind this unnerving tale:
Duality of human nature – The doppelganger represents the dual sides of the narrator’s psyche – his civilized ego and primal id. All humans have this duality within them.
Repression of primal urges – The narrator tries to repress his id by killing the doppelganger but this is shown to be an ineffective solution. These primal urges cannot be suppressed forever.
Losing control to violent instincts – By giving in to his urge to kill the doppelganger repeatedly, the narrator loses control of his mind and transforms into a primal killer.
Guilt and paranoia – The act of murder fills the narrator with escalating guilt and paranoia, accelerating his madness.
The fragility of civilization – The story shows how our civilized selves can quickly give way to primal violence and savagery when we lose control of our dark urges. Civilization may just be a thin veneer over our true animal selves.
Ultimately, His Face All Red is a disturbing meditation on human duality. It explores the constant internal tension between our civilized egos and primal ids. Emotions like guilt, paranoia, and bloodlust emerge when we try to repress our dark primal urges. Carroll skillfully uses horror, symbolism and evocative art to bring this unsettling theme to life.
Conclusion
In this analysis, we have explored the complex meaning behind Emily Carroll’s haunting horror comic His Face All Red. Through its story, characters, symbols, art and themes, the comic provides a chilling look at human duality and the fragility of the civilized ego when faced with the primal id. It is an unforgettable examination of our capacity for violence when we lose control of the beast within. Carroll’s masterful command over the comics medium results in a visually striking and narratively disturbing tale that stays with you long after reading. His Face All Red is a prime example of how graphic stories can deconstruct profound philosophical themes around human nature through the lens of horror.
