The Stranger Beside Me Themes

The Stranger Beside Me Themes

Deception

The element of deception is a core component of Ted Bundy's life and one that will ultimately destroy him. Ted's life begins with deception in the 1940's when his illegitimate birth forces his mother and her family into a lie about Ted's true identity. Ted is informed that his real mother is his sister and that his grandparents are his parents.

In order to avoid embarrassment for Ted and her family, Eleanor moves to Washington and legally changes Ted's name from Theodore Robert Cowell to Theodore Robert Nelson. When Louise marries in 1951, Ted assumes the surname of his stepfather and becomes Theodore Robert Bundy. Although it is outside circumstances that force the ever-changing face of Ted's identity, it leaves the young Ted with an unstable sense of self and a distrust of women. Having learned at an early age that deception is not...
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