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1. Shakespeare’s Othello

• In Othello, the theme of figurative cannibalism can be seen in Iago’s manipulation of Othello, where he metaphorically consumes Othello’s trust, gradually destroying him from within. Iago’s toxic influence causes Othello to turn on Desdemona, "devouring" their love and bond through jealousy. Like Armstrong’s betrayal of Isobel, Iago exploits vulnerabilities, resulting in a form of emotional and psychological consumption.

2. Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights

• In Wuthering Heights, the character of Heathcliff embodies a dark, consuming passion that almost figuratively devours those around him. His obsessive love for Catherine and his desire for revenge lead him to emotionally, and in some ways spiritually, consume both her and the other inhabitants of Wuthering Heights. This dynamic mirrors the possessiveness of Armstrong in An Experiment with an Air Pump, who also seeks to possess and dominate Isobel, consuming her in both physical and emotional terms.

3. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

• The theme of figurative cannibalism manifests in Frankenstein, where Dr. Frankenstein's creation consumes his creator’s life and well-being. Victor Frankenstein's desire to control life mirrors the predatory hunger of Armstrong’s scientific ambitions in An Experiment with an Air Pump. Both works explore how the creator or the scientist, in their obsessive pursuit of knowledge, consumes the vitality and autonomy of others, leaving them as victims of ambition.

4. Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960)

• In Psycho, Norman Bates' relationship with his mother can be seen as a form of figurative cannibalism. His identity is so consumed by his mother’s dominance that he eventually becomes her, taking on her persona in a violent, possessive way. Like Isobel caught between Roget and Armstrong, Marion Crane becomes a victim of Norman's internalized desire to possess and consume, not unlike Armstrong's predatory gaze toward Isobel.

5. Edvard Munch’s The Vampire (1895)

• In this painting, a woman appears to embrace a man, but the image has often been interpreted as a figure consuming the man, drawing on themes of vampirism and destruction through love or desire. This symbolic act of consumption aligns with the figurative cannibalism in An Experiment with an Air Pump, where the desire to possess and control another becomes an act of destruction.

6. Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire

• In this play, Stanley Kowalski’s relationship with Blanche DuBois can be seen as a form of emotional and psychological cannibalism. Stanley’s desire to assert control over Blanche culminates in her emotional breakdown, where his figurative consumption of her vulnerability and past destroys her. Armstrong’s interaction with Isobel has a similar dynamic—he figuratively consumes her innocence and autonomy through his possessiveness.

7. Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin (2013)

• In this film, an alien (played by Scarlett Johansson) preys on men by luring them in, consuming their essence. The alien’s method of consumption can be compared to the way Armstrong seeks to consume Isobel in An Experiment with an Air Pump—both predators operate under the guise of allure or necessity, and both prey on vulnerable individuals for their own gain.

Each of these works portrays a form of consumption—emotional, psychological, or spiritual—where characters devour the agency, vitality, or identity of others, drawing a parallel to the symbolic cannibalism in An Experiment with an Air Pump.

Cannibalism consumes love in ‘Yellowjackets’ and ‘Hannibal’