Home Viral Pop Culture 2

The Fictional Book That Explains Prison Life: 7 Shocking Truths From 'The Human Animal' In The Movie 'Shot Caller'

• minute read
Contents

For years, the book *The Human Animal* has been a deep-cut mystery for fans of the 2017 prison thriller *Shot Caller* (starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). As of December 22, 2025, the confusion persists: Is this a real, obscure anthropological text, or a clever piece of movie set dressing? The truth is a fascinating blend of both, revealing a profound commentary on primal human behavior, social hierarchy, and the brutal reality of the prison system. The book, recommended by the Aryan Brotherhood's leader, "The Beast," serves as a philosophical foundation for the film's gritty exploration of how a man transforms from a white-collar professional to a hardened "shot caller."

The core intention behind the book's inclusion is to ground the extreme violence and tribalism of prison life in a pseudo-scientific, evolutionary context. It suggests that behind the veneer of modern society, the "human animal" remains a creature governed by instinct, dominance, and the need for a pack. This article dives into the fictional book, the real-world anthropological masterpieces that inspired it, and the seven shocking truths they reveal about the "shot caller" mentality.

The Fictional Prop: *The Human Animal* by Kieran Sequoia

The most crucial fact for curious readers is that the specific edition of *The Human Animal* referenced in *Shot Caller* is a fictional prop.

  • The Author: The book is credited to an author named Kieran Sequoia.
  • The Reality: Kieran Sequoia is a real person, but not a published anthropologist. She worked as an assistant on the film, and the book was created specifically for the movie's final scene.
  • The Purpose: The book acts as a symbolic anchor, representing the "Beast's" (played by Holt McCallany) worldview—a philosophy that strips away morality and reduces human interaction to a Darwinian struggle for survival and dominance.

The fictional text is meant to encapsulate the idea that once a person is stripped of their societal comforts, their "human animal" instincts take over. This concept perfectly mirrors the protagonist Jacob "Money" Harlon's brutal transformation from a successful businessman to a feared gang member, or "shot caller," a term for a high-ranking inmate who gives orders.

The Real Inspirations: Desmond Morris and Weston La Barre

While the book prop is fake, its themes are deeply rooted in real, influential works of sociobiology and anthropology that share the same title. The movie's creators clearly drew inspiration from these texts to give the fictional book intellectual weight.

Desmond Morris: The Ethological View

The most likely and most famous inspiration is Desmond Morris's *The Human Animal: A Personal View of the Human Species* (1994), which was also a BBC documentary series.

  • Core Thesis: Morris, a zoologist and ethologist, argues that human behavior is still fundamentally rooted in our animal past, despite our technological and cultural evolution.
  • Relevant Entities: *The Naked Ape*, *The Human Zoo*, ethology, primal instinct, non-verbal communication, aggression.
  • Connection to *Shot Caller*: Morris’s earlier work, *The Human Zoo* (1969), is particularly relevant. It argues that city dwellers, when confined in dense, artificial environments (like a prison), exhibit abnormal and aggressive behaviors similar to captive animals in a zoo. This directly parallels the prison environment, where Jacob is forced into violent, tribalistic behavior to survive his "cage."

Weston La Barre: The Psychoanalytic View

Another book with the same title is Weston La Barre's *The Human Animal* (1954), which takes a psychoanalytical approach to psychology and culture.

  • Core Thesis: La Barre's work explores the psychoanalytical origins of culture and behavior, often touching on deep-seated societal issues. Some discussions online link this specific book to themes of racism and tribalism, which are central to the prison gang dynamics in *Shot Caller*.
  • Relevant Entities: Psychoanalysis, cultural anthropology, neurosis, culture shock, ritual, tribalism.
  • Connection to *Shot Caller*: This text provides a more academic, cultural anthropology lens to explain the rigid, tribal structure of prison gangs like the Aryan Brotherhood, where race and loyalty are the ultimate currencies of survival.

7 Brutal Truths About the 'Shot Caller' Mentality Revealed by 'The Human Animal'

The philosophical intersection of the fictional prop and its real-world inspirations reveals a harsh understanding of human nature, which the "shot caller" uses to his advantage to maintain power.

1. The Primacy of the Pack (Tribalism)

In a high-stress, confined environment like prison, the need for a social group (the "pack") overrides individual morality. This is a classic animal instinct. The gangs—the Aryan Brotherhood, the Black Guerrilla Family, the Sureños—are not just criminal organizations; they are survival tribes. They offer protection and identity, but demand absolute, animalistic loyalty in return. This is the foundation of the "shot caller's" power.

2. Dominance Hierarchy is Inevitable

Just like in a wolf pack or a troop of apes, a clear dominance hierarchy must be established. The "shot caller" is the alpha male. His authority is not based on democratic principles but on demonstrated strength, ruthlessness, and the willingness to commit violence. The book's themes suggest that this hierarchy is a natural, albeit brutal, human response to confinement.

3. De-Individualization and the Uniform

The transformation of Jacob Harlon into "Money" involves shedding his former identity and adopting the gang’s uniform, tattoos, and codes. This de-individualization is a common phenomenon in confined groups, where the individual identity is sacrificed for the collective strength of the "animal." The "shot caller" enforces this conformity to eliminate weakness and dissent.

4. Territory and Boundaries (The Cage Effect)

The real-life book *The Human Zoo* highlights how animals become territorial and aggressive when their living space is restricted. Prison is the ultimate restricted territory. The "shot caller" controls his territory (the yard, the cell block) with absolute authority, and any perceived violation of these boundaries is met with swift, animalistic violence.

5. The Warrior's Code vs. Civilized Law

The quote referenced in the movie suggests a "warrior's deadliest weapon." This points to the idea that in the prison world, the rules of civilized society are replaced by a primitive warrior's code, where honor, revenge, and strength are the only laws. The "shot caller" is the supreme judge and executioner of this code.

6. The Invention of Ideology (The Rationalizing Animal)

While the behavior is primal, the "human animal" is also highly inventive. The gangs use complex ideologies (like white supremacy or cultural nationalism) to rationalize their tribal aggression. The fictional book itself, *The Human Animal*, acts as a self-justifying ideology for the "Beast," allowing him to view his brutal actions as a necessary adherence to natural law rather than mere criminality.

7. The Simplicity of Survival

Ultimately, the philosophy boils down to the simplicity of survival. In moments of danger, the "human animal will seek the simplest escape when in danger/threatened." For Jacob, the simplest path to survival was to become the most dangerous, to transform into the "shot caller" himself, a terrifying example of how environmental pressure can rewind human evolution.

The Fictional Book That Explains Prison Life: 7 Shocking Truths from 'The Human Animal' in the Movie 'Shot Caller'
the human animal book shot caller
the human animal book shot caller

Detail Author:

  • Name : Therese Parisian
  • Username : kuhic.estefania
  • Email : carlee24@yahoo.com
  • Birthdate : 1980-08-20
  • Address : 1518 Batz Island North Alfredaside, VA 80826-5569
  • Phone : +1-651-610-8344
  • Company : Steuber and Sons
  • Job : Motorboat Operator
  • Bio : Quis aliquam quas omnis asperiores qui labore et. Atque aut laudantium dolor corrupti fugit voluptatem unde. Totam aut sequi sequi magnam sint.

Socials

instagram:

twitter:

  • url : https://twitter.com/dahlia.vonrueden
  • username : dahlia.vonrueden
  • bio : Harum consectetur dolor ut et quis aut reprehenderit. Voluptatem impedit rerum pariatur ipsam ut. Animi ducimus repudiandae totam sint vitae natus.
  • followers : 1314
  • following : 1125

linkedin:

tiktok:

Random Posts