American Psycho

Entrails torn from the body with bare hands, eyes gouged out with razor blades, battery cables, rats borrowing inside the human body, power drills to the face, cannibalism, credit cards, business cards, Dorsia, Testoni, Armani, Wall Street; all of these things are Patrick Bateman’s world. The only difference between Bateman and anybody else is what is repulsive to Bateman and what is repulsive to the rest of the world. Bateman has great interest in the upper class life, fashions, and social existence, but at the same time he is, at times, sickened by the constant struggle to be one up on everybody else. On the other hand Bateman’s nightlife reveals a side of him never seen during the day. Bateman is relaxed, impulsive, and confident while torturing and killing. He doesn’t have to worry about being better than anyone else. The only competition he has is his last victim. Torture and murder are the two true loves of Patrick Bateman.

From the beginning of the novel the reader is introduced to an almost mind numbing amount of details of Bateman’s social life, wardrobe, cosmetic products, etc. The reader is almost frustrated with the overabundance of details. Why is it important to know what kind of hair gel Bateman used on Tuesday before an important meeting with his friends? What’s the point of numerous chapters of extreme analysis of Genesis, Whitney Houston, etc? Bateman’s obsessions are extremely complex but at the same time he doesn’t limit himself to one area of obsession. Bateman’s knowledge of fashion is truly amazing, but what about his knowledge of weapons. His knowledge of pain is a true genius in itself, but how many people can spit out specifications on the frequency responses of various brands of stereo receivers and speaker systems like Bateman?

The point can be made that Bateman is simply trying to be better than everyone else, have more stuff, look better, and out do his rival workers, but that’s too simple. Bateman is obsessed with perfection. But why? Boredom, lack of a personality, and pursuit of happiness all come to mind. It’s hard to tell what exactly would make a person with so much so unhappy. Boredom does play a role in Bateman’s demented world, and so does lack of personality. It can certainly be said that Bateman is simply looking for happiness. I think Bateman does somewhat satisfy his boredom, and does make himself fe...

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...ion with his life when he says, “’Kill. . . All. . . Yuppies’.”

Of course anybody that knows Bateman wouldn’t take this statement literally, and in fact the statement is simply ignored like many other attempts Bateman makes at exposing his anger or his dark side.

To summarize Bateman’s sense of the repulsive in one word, phrase, or idea would be impossible. However, I do think the repulsion with his surroundings comes from his relatively easy life. He has all the money he needs, and works for even more. He was born into a wealthy family and was given everything except happiness. Bateman’s constant struggle with himself and those around him stems from his repulsion of everything he is and has become. His nighttime endeavors with prostitutes and the homeless are more than releases for his frustrations, they are a way for Bateman to express himself in a different way than everyone around him does. Bateman doesn’t have to flash a shiny business card at a whore to make her go to his house. The homeless people don’t care if Bateman owns a tanning bed or not. The only thing that matters to Bateman is whether or not these people will scream, bleed, and die the way he wants them to.