If you haven’t read American Psycho yet, you’re in for a real treat. Either that or you will hate me for recommending this book and possibly sue me for damages and mental distress.
In any case, Patrick Bateman, the titular American Psycho, has become part of pop culture. Whether you’ve read the book, seen the (excellently adapted) movie, or just know him from this gif:
You know that he’s a narcissistic Wall Street trust fund baby with a serious case of bloodlust and unmitigated misogyny. But beyond the plot of the book, there are serious questions raised about self versus other, identity, and the animalistic ways psychopaths hide among and prey upon us. Instead of giving a summary, I wanted to pose some interesting questions raised in American Psycho.
- From nearly the first page through the duration of the story, Patrick is mistaken for other Wall Street brokers, and he mistakes strangers for friends and acquaintances. This takes a humorous tone in the movie at times, but the question is: Is the author saying that the Wall Street “uniform” of expensive suits, meticulous grooming, and extravagant wealth depersonalizing? And since Patrick at times takes advantage of mistaken identity, can we assume that his brethren do as well? Can this be extrapolated to imply a larger criticism of conformity? Or is it merely that Patrick’s camouflage allows him to hunt better than others?
- It is startling to read the book in 2019, because Patrick idolizes Donald Trump. I doubt Bret Easton Ellis could have predicted he’d be president one day, but it does lend more light to Patrick’s ideals and taste. Opulence and swagger over substance is how Patrick lives, but is it a conscious choice? Or is it protective cover, hoping that people will be blinded by his money and miss the fact that he is at best empty inside, and at worst, a hideous monster?
- Posters and ads for Les Miserables are ubiquitous throughout the book, appearing on the sides of busses, plastered on walls, and in one scene, characters argue whether the English or French version of the soundtrack is superior. Patrick has numerous encounters with homeless people, and he often visits extreme violence on them. Is this just a case of classism taken to extreme? Is it a commentary on a Broadway musical about “the miserable” raking in millions of dollars, while the streets of New York are redolent with real poverty? Is America psychotic for loving theater depicting suffering while studiously ignoring it, or even profiting off it?I have more questions, but I have to go – I have some video tapes I need to return.