Abhiroop Das
Created by Gabe Rotter, Netflix’s ‘The Beast in Me’ tells the story of Agatha Wiggs, a once-acclaimed novelist now on the brink of financial ruin. Ever since the death of her son, she has been unable to bring herself to write, and a part of that is a lack of genuine inspiration. Things change with the surprise arrival of her new neighbor, Nile Jarvis. The business mogul is infamous around the world for being an alleged murderer, and although Agatha has no concrete opinion on him just yet, every interaction brings forth a tug of war between opinions. Before long, the idea of capturing his life on paper takes over her mind, and an unlikely dynamic ensues. Given that Agatha’s identity as a novelist is the beating heart of this mystery thriller series, a significant portion of the story is dedicated to unraveling her tragic past, particularly in relation to her memoir, ‘Sick Puppy,’ and how the past continues to inform the present.
Agatha Wiggs is an Invented Novelist Brought to Life by Claire Danes’ Performance
Agatha Wiggs is a fictional novelist created by Howard Gordon, Daniel Pearle, and Gabe Rotter to serve the narrative of ‘The Beast in Me.’ Although the writers have not mentioned any direct sources of inspiration for Agatha, it is possible that they were informed by real-life novelists and memoirists who bear some similarity to the invented character. The most striking detail about Agatha is the fact that she won a Pulitzer for her debut work and has not published anything since. Notably, there exists a real-life precedent for this, namely Margaret Mitchell, who wrote only one book in her lifetime, the Pulitzer-winning ‘Gone with the Wind.’ However, given that the latter novel is about a historical romance set in the 1800s, its contents bear no resemblance to the subject matter Agatha specializes in. To that end, it is possible that writers such as Tessa Hulls, who won a Pulitzer for her debut work, ‘Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir,’ might have served as a vague reference point.
Given the lack of a clear real-life antecedent, it is also possible that the character of Agatha Wiggs was created from scratch to embody many of the show’s key concerns. Over the course of the show, she touches on numerous aspects of being a writer that are universally relatable, such as experiencing writer’s block or being overly self-critical of one’s own work. Through Agatha, the creative team of ‘The Beast in Me’ voices out an author’s characteristic psychological template, which in turn enriches the storytelling further. Actor Claire Danes, who essays the role, also brought in elements from her own life into the character, as stated in her interview with Boston Herald: “Aggie had a particular walk. She had a little bit of a waddle, which I really enjoyed (…) It took some effort and focus. I went back to my 11-year-old self to find Aggie’s physicality and had a great time with it.”
Related
Sick Puppy Shares its Name With a Real Crime Drama Novel
While Agatha Wiggs is a purely fictional construct, her acclaimed novel, ‘Sick Puppy: A Letter to my Father,’ shares its name with a real-life novel. Published in 2000, ‘Sick Puppy’ is a crime drama novel by Carl Hiaasen. Despite the vague overlap in genres, the contents of the two stories are markedly different, as Hiaasen’s story is about an eco-terrorist named Twilly Spree who clashes with a littering politician, whereas Agatha Wiggs’ memoir details her abusive relationship with her father. Notably, the real-life novel appears to have loose parallels with the narrative of ‘The Beast in Me,’ itself, as one of its primary antagonists is a real-estate mogul who is planning his largest project yet, not unlike Nile Jarvis. However, it is likely that these similarities are coincidental in nature, and the writers of the series chose the memoir’s name for reasons unique to the narrative.
Despite not being inspired by the real-life novel of the same name, ‘Sick Puppy’ as presented in the show might draw loose inspiration from real-life memoirs of a similar nature. In particular, ‘The Glass Castle’ by Jeannette Walls appears to be the most likely reference point, given the apparent similarities between the two narratives. Published in 2005, Walls’ memoir recounts her nomadic upbringing and her complicated relationship with her parents. This aligns with Agatha’s story, as she tells Nile at one point that her family never stayed in one place, largely due to her father’s financial troubles. However, as we do not get many glimpses into ‘Sick Puppy’ throughout the show, not many comparisons can be drawn between it and ‘The Glass Castle.’ Nonetheless, it is possible that Agatha Wiggs’ lived experiences were inspired by those of Jeanette Wells, and consequently her fictional memoir follows the same pattern.
