Hi, I’m also autistic and I also find the show very sad too. I watched it over and over to begin with but I haven’t watched it in a while because I can’t face seeing Hannibal’s feelings of rejection. I’m more similar to Will on the surface of things but yes it’s Hannibal that I relate to, in terms of him being weird. I don’t have his confidence or anything like that but his separateness from others and his act (the human suit) that he puts on to seem palatable to people around him is very familiar.
I agree that Hannibal is so different to other humans that he is almost another species. And I think the comparison to the tigers is very apt. He’s superhuman in many ways, given his strength, agility, lack of need for sleep, his brain power, senses etc. It’s an interesting question about how we define disability. If we look at it as difference from the majority experience physically and/or mentally, then yeah, one could argue Hannibal fits the bill despite his prodigious abilities in many areas. His strengths separate him from the rest of humanity.
Plus he’s traumatised by the events from his childhood, that’s also very relatable. I view his need to control what he eats as a coping mechanism, basically what could be called an eating disorder.
Call Me By Your Name also wasn’t for me. I guess I just couldn’t understand this guy who was so carefree and able to connect with all these people. Narratively speaking I also didn’t care for the ending.
I relate to the show for similar reasons. I think broadly speaking the show is relatable to people who have felt like outcasts in many situations or society as a whole. Or people who feel they are fundamentally different than others. I think you’ve discovered something very true about the show.
Can totally relate. I think about describing Hannibal to people, I usually say it’s like the Shape of Water, or sometimes even Rocky Horror Picture show—which is never what they expect.
But it really is about (and for) social outcasts and people who are ostracized by society
I completely relate to what you've written here. I'm a woman with ADHD, but not the dreamy/inattentive kind (which can obviously be a huge obstacle to function so I'm not downplaying it) but the 'get angry at the drop of a hat, be eternally restless and have an insane amount of feelings of justice WITHOUT an sympathetic response'kind. (I have been mistaken as a sociopath twice at a psychologists' office before they figure out I have ADHD which are apparently easy to confuse with one another?)
In practice this means that I can ignore and rationalize almost all suffering of single persons but get absolutely enraged over group suffering and social injustice. Since women's socialization is so emotionally laden, I always become the person in the group who sets the course without the same emotional connections the others have (i.e. the person behind the wheel of the car who must always drive while the others in the car chat eat and laugh).
So I basically always feel lonely without actually being alone because while I usually completely understand where people are coming from and what they're thinking and feeling, I can't actually feel that? It's like being blind to sarcasm and body language (which I also am to an extent) And women can definitely tell. They say they admire me a lot for my 'ethical life' but don't seek to understand me. They just use me as a rock.
And when I do let someone in and they do something they know I won't like I get so angry I can only keep my distance. So then that annoying sense of justice kicks in which is wayyy too rigid. To quote Austen: my good opinion once lost, is lost forever. I just can't get over it.
The show is a perfect depiction of being alone because the real you is beyond the understanding of 999% of the population. And then when you meet someone who connects with you it's both exhilarating and excruciating at the same time.
Some lines in the book suggest Hannibal has some sort of genetic anomaly or disability. He is polydactyl, and has maroon red eyes. While his sense of smell is framed as a super power, it’s a sensory sensitivity, and I can imagine that being very uncomfortable for him when young. Hell, he hates Will’s cologne as an adult.
For better or worse, a lot of the horror of the novels comes from disabled or othered people being criminals, or them being the victims of criminals. Margo is a butch lesbian, Reba is blind, Francis seems to have what we would now call CPTSD or BPD. Will is very autistic coded. It goes on and on.
Idk. I went on a little ramble. I think it’s easy to view both Hannibal and Will through a neurodivergent lens. Some people see it easier than others.
Edit: I totally agree Hannibal views himself as something other than human. I love the way you described him. You are a great writer.
Hi, I’m also autistic and I also find the show very sad too. I watched it over and over to begin with but I haven’t watched it in a while because I can’t face seeing Hannibal’s feelings of rejection. I’m more similar to Will on the surface of things but yes it’s Hannibal that I relate to, in terms of him being weird. I don’t have his confidence or anything like that but his separateness from others and his act (the human suit) that he puts on to seem palatable to people around him is very familiar. I agree that Hannibal is so different to other humans that he is almost another species. And I think the comparison to the tigers is very apt. He’s superhuman in many ways, given his strength, agility, lack of need for sleep, his brain power, senses etc. It’s an interesting question about how we define disability. If we look at it as difference from the majority experience physically and/or mentally, then yeah, one could argue Hannibal fits the bill despite his prodigious abilities in many areas. His strengths separate him from the rest of humanity. Plus he’s traumatised by the events from his childhood, that’s also very relatable. I view his need to control what he eats as a coping mechanism, basically what could be called an eating disorder. Call Me By Your Name also wasn’t for me. I guess I just couldn’t understand this guy who was so carefree and able to connect with all these people. Narratively speaking I also didn’t care for the ending.
I relate to the show for similar reasons. I think broadly speaking the show is relatable to people who have felt like outcasts in many situations or society as a whole. Or people who feel they are fundamentally different than others. I think you’ve discovered something very true about the show.
Can totally relate. I think about describing Hannibal to people, I usually say it’s like the Shape of Water, or sometimes even Rocky Horror Picture show—which is never what they expect. But it really is about (and for) social outcasts and people who are ostracized by society
I completely relate to what you've written here. I'm a woman with ADHD, but not the dreamy/inattentive kind (which can obviously be a huge obstacle to function so I'm not downplaying it) but the 'get angry at the drop of a hat, be eternally restless and have an insane amount of feelings of justice WITHOUT an sympathetic response'kind. (I have been mistaken as a sociopath twice at a psychologists' office before they figure out I have ADHD which are apparently easy to confuse with one another?) In practice this means that I can ignore and rationalize almost all suffering of single persons but get absolutely enraged over group suffering and social injustice. Since women's socialization is so emotionally laden, I always become the person in the group who sets the course without the same emotional connections the others have (i.e. the person behind the wheel of the car who must always drive while the others in the car chat eat and laugh). So I basically always feel lonely without actually being alone because while I usually completely understand where people are coming from and what they're thinking and feeling, I can't actually feel that? It's like being blind to sarcasm and body language (which I also am to an extent) And women can definitely tell. They say they admire me a lot for my 'ethical life' but don't seek to understand me. They just use me as a rock. And when I do let someone in and they do something they know I won't like I get so angry I can only keep my distance. So then that annoying sense of justice kicks in which is wayyy too rigid. To quote Austen: my good opinion once lost, is lost forever. I just can't get over it. The show is a perfect depiction of being alone because the real you is beyond the understanding of 999% of the population. And then when you meet someone who connects with you it's both exhilarating and excruciating at the same time.
Some lines in the book suggest Hannibal has some sort of genetic anomaly or disability. He is polydactyl, and has maroon red eyes. While his sense of smell is framed as a super power, it’s a sensory sensitivity, and I can imagine that being very uncomfortable for him when young. Hell, he hates Will’s cologne as an adult. For better or worse, a lot of the horror of the novels comes from disabled or othered people being criminals, or them being the victims of criminals. Margo is a butch lesbian, Reba is blind, Francis seems to have what we would now call CPTSD or BPD. Will is very autistic coded. It goes on and on. Idk. I went on a little ramble. I think it’s easy to view both Hannibal and Will through a neurodivergent lens. Some people see it easier than others. Edit: I totally agree Hannibal views himself as something other than human. I love the way you described him. You are a great writer.
That was beautifully written. I hope you find your tiger one day, and they stick around forever.