The show Bates Motel is set in a fictional town called White Pine Bay, Oregon. This state is known for having a lot of rainfall, dark, overcast days, and a bleak, spooky atmosphere. This dreary physical environment is paralleled by the rapidly declining mental state of Norman Bates. White Pine Bay, Oregon is narratively appropriate for the plot and integral to the mood of the show.
White Pine Bay is a small coastal society – It is clear from the first episode that it is no ordinary town. On the north side, there exists a large marijuana field. The illegal sale of marijuana is the town’s primary source of revenue. There are many people higher up in this society involved in illegal activities (for example, police officers), but the sheriff turns a blind eye. Regarding Norman’s experience in this small society, he is instantly welcomed to the school and immediately befriends a popular, pretty, and wealthy girl named Bradley.
The character Bradley helps drive home the consequences of sex, where Bradley and Norman spend the night together and afterwards, when he confesses his feelings for her, she tells him she doesn’t feel the same way about him, evidently breaking his heart. In terms of the consequences of violence, the violent deaths have an effect on the characters and the town as a whole. There are a total of 48 deaths in Bates Motel and each of them takes its toll. The best example of this, in my opinion, is the death of Norman’s mother, Norma. As a result, Norman preserves her body in a freezer for two years before burying her. Additionally, he “becomes” Norma more often and also hallucinates her.
It is evident that Norma’s responsibility is to protect Norman. She is a very overprotective and controlling parent, In her eyes, her job as a mother is to protect him from any potential harm. She knows something isn’t right with him, yet she continues to insist he is fine with the goal of “protecting” him, though she ends up failing to do so.