#alien oram

Before I begin this analyze, it is important to know that I’ve only managed to see the movie twice now and my memory isn’t perfect. I also haven’t read much of the novelization yet so his character could be more developed there. Not only that, but this whole idea is really supported by my interpretation of that specific line. If you don’t agree with my interpretation or have one of your own though, I would love to hear your ideas on why Oram acted the way he did and about him as a character.

But on to my analysis. Before I actually go into that line, I feel it’s important to note how humans tend to act in stressful situations. The average human will typically act very emotional when put in a situation where they are in danger and friends are dying. Even people who say they wouldn't be that stupid would still likely act emotionally first. Humans are emotional beings after all and there is a reason why emotional appeals are the most powerful. Also when you're in a group, group hysteria is more likely to set in and push emotion forefront to someone's mind so already we’ve got a lot going against Oram and rational decision making.

Then there’s the Uncanny Valley Effect and why that didn’t seem to play a part when Oram followed David. In a normal setting, Oram would have likely ostracized David due to the Uncanny Valley Effect. David is just too human and can produce a feeling of danger and fear of being replaced because he is able to have his own agendas and think differently from humans while also sharing their face and blending in. However, the situation that Oram is put in is anything but normal.

This leads me to the first of two reasons as to why Oram would have trusted David despite everything that happened. Despite the Uncanny Valley Effect, Oram is alone, everyone he's cared about is dying, and David, despite being a synthetic, is the closest thing to a human face near him. We also have to include how logic is likely not the leader in his mind’s decisions, going by my previous statements on humans. Likely because David looks human, and because of Oram’s faith, Oram latches onto David’s image and hopes and prays that there could possibly still be some humanity inside David’s human like form. He is alone and doesn’t have anyone else to rely on so he goes on faith, only in this instance his faith very much abandoned him.

To understand my second reason as to why he would seemingly trust David, and to even understand his actions before arriving on the planet, I will now go into my interpretation of that quote. Out of everything that could be said in that moment, Oram says that line which suggest that not only is it a phrase he’s familiar with, one that remains vibrant in his mind, but it also does not have good connotations going by the fact that it’s seeing his dead crewmate’s body and killing the neomorph that brings it up. Also, the fact that he implies the devil is a singular ‘he’ and he specifies that he met the devil as a child (not just he felt his presence or saw him or thought him near one day but that he specifically interacted with the devil as a child) makes me think this line could have a much darker meaning. Specifically that Oram was abused in some way, shape or form as a child.

The first time I saw this movie, that idea immediately popped into my head and upon my second viewing, I made sure to watch for it just to make sure I hadn’t gotten the quote wrong. Perhaps my reasoning is a jump to make but once it is made, I believe it helps to explain Oram’s interactions far better.

So let’s start with the fact that though he’s not great at being a leader, Oram doesn't have trouble taking all the blame and seemingly drowning in it. This could simply show he has a week spine and it’s his way of making others feel sorry for him but I honestly don’t think he’s the kind of man to that. Even though untrusting, he’s to caring with his wife to make me believe that. Now, going by my explanation, we can delve into feelings of survivor’s guilt.

As someone who has experienced emotional abuse and has had friends and family members be victims of other types of abuse, I understand that one of the biggest ways to keep a victim quiet is to have them believe it’s their fault, something which is even easier to accomplish when the victim is a child because at that point in life, children are still learning and so open to the world that they put all faith in adults. If Oram was abused in some way, this would not only explain why he’d be so quick to take the blame but would also explain his actions at the beginning of the movie and why he’d be untrusting of the crew.

The scars of abuse are difficult things to overcome and even if you’ve made peace or come to some sort of understanding from the initial event, the after effects of it can still be very present. I feel that it was religion that helped Oram to overcome this, hence why his faith was so strong, and also his wife acting as his center and supporter. He knows he’s not a natural leader and so for fear of being blamed, his actions as a leader are those of a desperate man. He follows his faith because it got him through one of the worst ordeals of his life and he does what the majority of the crew thinks is best, even if logic dictates it isn’t, because Oram fears failure. He doesn’t want to be the person blamed if something goes wrong, he doesn’t want the crew against him, so even though Daniels’ reasoning is more sound, it’s his faith and the opinions of the other crewmembers that send him to go to the planet.

When shit hits the fan and his wife is suddenly gone, it also helps to explain why he jumps on blaming himself, not because he wants attention, but because part of that abuse has simply stayed with him. No matter how small, how insignificant, anything that goes wrong is always his fault and perhaps a part of him feels like it was fate that his crew would die. His desperate actions were done in the hopes that he could avoid any more casualties but now that it’s happened, all Oram can think about is how everything has always been his fault.

This leads me to my second reason as to why Oram would have followed and trusted David. It’s because he believes he deserves to die, that his mere presence lessens the possible survival of any of the other crewmembers. After all, when we see him with David we also see that he’s gone from this person nearly in tears, constantly blaming himself, to someone almost cold and detached. He sees Rosenthal’s decapitated head and it only confirms his belief that it’s all his fault and that he can’t do anything write. Oram walking up to the opening egg was not the action of a stupid man but either the actions of a desperate man holding onto faith or one ready to die.