American Psycho in Our Culture

American Psycho in Our Culture

Introduction

The purpose of this paper is to enlighten and explore different conceptions, themes and plot of the novel “American Psycho”. The core objective of the paper is to reflect the literary illustrations portrayed in the novel in order to explore the correlation between the plot of the novel and the society. One of the most controversial novels in contemporary American literature, American Psycho has divided critics and readers since its publication in 1991. Written subsequent to Ellis's critically acclaimed debut novel, Less than Zero (1985), and his second book, The Rules of Attraction (1987), American Psycho caused a stir among reviewers even prior to its public release.

Notorious for its exceedingly graphic descriptions of sex and murder, Ellis's novel has been labeled as pornographic and misogynistic. Concurrently, it has earned a reputation as a misunderstood work of scathing satire that likens serial killing to the unchecked consumerism of the 1980s. Mary Harron's cinematic adaptation of American Psycho, which premiered in 2000, presented a toned-down version of Ellis's book, but it sparked renewed interest in the novel, encouraging many critics to reevaluate the book's place in the contemporary literary canon.

Novel Plot and Characters

American Psycho is told in the first-person and in the present-tense by a twenty-six-year-old New Yorker named Patrick Bateman. Educated at Exeter and Harvard, Bateman works at Pierce & Pierce, a Wall Street investment firm. Due to his family's wealth, Bateman does not really need to earn a living, and thus accomplishes very little at the office. The novel lacks a formal plot, focusing instead on Bateman's thoughts and actions during repeated visits to upscale nightclubs, restaurants, the apartments of wealthy co-workers, trendy spas, and his health club, Xclusive. The narrative abounds with references to such social phenomena as AIDS and homelessness, as well as to cultural events like the Broadway musical Les Misérables and the fictional television talk show The Patty Winters Show.

Bateman provides exhaustive detail concerning his wardrobe, the clothing of others, his video rentals, and a variety of expensive material possessions (Zaller, 1993, 317-25). His acquaintances (most notably Timothy Price, David Van Patten, Craig McDermott, Luis Carruthers, and Bateman's rival, Paul Owen) are similar in appearance and are often mistaken for one another. Extremely vapid, these men exhibit identical character traits and patterns of speech. They also engage in affairs with each other's girlfriends; Bateman is unfaithful to his fiancé, Evelyn. Bateman's secretary, Jean, is in love with him, despite his cold and flippant nature. Meanwhile, Bateman is romantically involved with Carruthers's girlfriend, Courtney.

Bateman's relationship with his brother, Sean, and their ill mother is distant and strained, and he rarely thinks about or mentions his family (Zaller, 1993, 317-25). Although Bateman alludes to his depraved fantasies and hints at having previously committed murder, it is not until late in the novel that he embarks on a killing spree. Some of his murders--fourteen in all, though his first documented victim may have survived--are immediately followed by lengthy discussions of the careers ...