American Psycho Written by Bret Easton Ellis - Research Paper Example

? Effect of Life Experiences: A Case study on a Psychological Novel: American Psycho A Case study on a Psychological Novel: American Psycho American Psycho is a satirical and psychological novel written by Bret Easton Ellis. The novel is written in present tense where the main character narrates the events of his life. The novel was published in 1991. The novels main character is a Manhattan based businessman known as Patrick Bateman who turns out to be a murderer. The American Psycho is about the day to day life events of Patrick Bateman. Bateman lives in a culture that is popular. The generation n surrounding him was filled with image and money. Bateman is filled with sexism as most of his victims are women whom he feels that they are an easy catch with money. Bateman performs disgusting torture to women than men. Bateman is obsessed with violence and utterly describes the major disparity between men and women victims in the novel. Bateman is a victim of consumerism and he portrays the danger that comes with consumerism. Bateman clearly shows that all his material wealth in the consumer society does not bring him any happiness or satisfaction. Bateman sought to kill in order to gain attention from the society he lives in. Bateman is a wealthy man at a very tender age of twenty seven years. Bateman is an investment banker. Although Patrick is a highly respected man during the day, at night he turns out to be a murderer. Bateman is a man from a very wealthy family. Bateman has attended the Philips Exeter Academy in Harvard where he graduates in 1984. Bateman then attends Harvard School of Business where he graduates in 1986. Bateman lives Upper West Side, Manhattan in an expensive well furnished apartment. Bateman worked as Vice President of an Investment Company in Wall Street. In the novel, Bateman discusses all the conversation that he has had with friends in the nightclubs, bars and in the office. In the first chapters of the book, describes Bateman nights out are mostly at Fridays. Bateman accounts for the Friday nights that he spends with friends from one nightclub to the other. Bateman explains that in the nightclubs they criticize the club goers’ dress codes, sniff cocaine, question each other on etiquette and advice each other on fashion trade. In the middle of the novel, Bateman starts to describe the activities of his day to day life. The day to day activities of Bateman include making dinner reservations for women whom he kills later and videotapes renting. Most of Bateman dates and customers are women. Bateman constantly criticizes the music of most popular musicians in 1980 such as Whitney Houston, genesis among others. Bateman describes his love life in the middle of the novel. Bateman is dating a woman known as Evelyn Richard who is a fellow professional woman. Bateman does not hide the fact that he does not love her. The life of Bateman revolves around sexual activities with women who are hard bodied including his secretary. Bateman utterly confesses that he does not like homosexuals when he tries effortlessly to avoid a homosexual workmate known as Luis Carruthers. Bateman also describes his relationship with the isolated family members. Bateman describes his mother as a person with dementia. Bateman has a sore relationship with his mother. Bateman is a lonely man as he does not maintain any concrete relationship with anyone throughout the novel. Bateman speaks of women in a derogative manner showing that he disrespects women. The way he describes women when he sleeps with them shows that he has no feelings of viewing women as important. In one occasion, Bateman says that all most women are useless .Bateman mother lives in a nursing home where he constantly visits her. Bateman describes his brother, Sean Bateman, as a dropout out in college. Bateman describes his brother as a person who loves self gratification and pleasure. While Bateman describes all the events in his life he appears to have hatred and violent feelings towards various people in his life. In the novel, Bateman is portrayed as a person who is well abreast with the cultural yuppies, popular with women, wealthy and well educated. In reality Bateman is a sociopath who has a heart of ice. Bateman has a high class sense in fashion and often sources for top designers to make his suits. Bateman kill women, rapes women and cannibalizes his murder victim. Bateman uses his shinny limousines to attract women. Bateman hates poor people and is consume with thoughts on being wealthier. Bateman is a key player in the popular culture. In the pop culture environment people are driven by the money that can spend on high class restaurants and fashion. Nobody cares about other people problems. Bateman displays that he is a racist and misogynist when he utterly. As the novel continues, the violent emotions in Bateman mind gets out of control. Bateman starts to torment and kill women as a part of his violent plans. Bateman loves to invite women for dinner and then murder them. Bateman describes every murder he commits. Bateman description of the murder he commits portrays a person who likes to torture human beings. Bateman portrays a person who is a sadist. Bateman describes the murder he commits as those marred with stabbings, rape, torture, mutilation, necrophilia and cannibalism. Actually most of his sanity seems to have broken down. Bateman says that he enjoys killing and that killing gives him pleasure. Bateman confesses his murder to his colleagues but they seem not to take him serious. Bateman also confess his murder on his lawyer, Harold Carnes, but he dismisses him telling him he is much of a coward to do such an act. Emotions such as expressed emotion are critical in determining ones behaviors. Expressed emotions foster certain attitudes towards people. Bateman often seems to be annoyed by the people he doesn’t like. In one case Bateman offered the hotel manager to chase away some tourists who did not please him. Attitudes that are hostile are accompanied by expressed emotions which depict a negative behavior in a person. Bateman often feels certain king of hatred towards women even when he kills them he feels that he has satisfied his urge to hate them fully. Emotions regulate the way a person behaves in sociological and biological setting. Emotions are the foundations of social relations. As Bateman continues to describe the murders he commits and the fantasies he has about committing murder clearly indicates that Bateman is mentally sick. Bateman describes murders very casually as if it is not a big deal to murder people. Bateman jealousy has made him to kills even his colleagues such as Paul Owen who was challenging him at work. The psychological elements portrayed by this novel relate to the mind processes. Bateman processes how he is going to murder his victims in his mind before he meets them and kills them. The environment that Bateman thrives in is filled with rich people who look exactly the same in terms of expensive haircuts and clothes. The people surrounding Bateman are so alike such that when Bateman murders one of them, the murder goes unnoticeable. Mistaken identity is common in the novel. The society of yuppies that Bateman lives in seems that nobody care about anything except money. The hostility emotions that Bateman displays can be blamed on the estranged family ties he has with his family. Bateman lives in fear that some people will outrun him in the fashion world and in richness so he eliminates them or uses money to silence them. For example Bateman killed his colleague who was challenging him at work. Bateman addiction to drugs and alcohol becomes worse as he continues with his killing spree. Bateman says that as the night fall he has to take J&Bs, cocaine and valium to make him strong. The addiction to drugs is so strong such that at one point in the novel, Bateman says that automated teller machine was talking to him and that at one time he saw a park bench follow him. Bateman is a racist as he tells his secretary that he would invest large amounts of his money in corporations that practiced racism. Bateman is full of homophobia, anti-Semitism and racism. Bateman is filled with aggression towards the women and the poor as well as the black community in the Wall Street outskirts. Aggression often leads to violence. Bateman is filled with violence. Aggression fosters a behavior that is aimed at hurting people psychologically or physically. Aggression is caused by behavior change throughout the social cultural learning. Aggression comes as a natural instinct from the human body. Aggression is a creation of the mind. Bateman often developed with his mind all the torture and lifestyle he wanted through his mind. Through effortful actions by Bateman to maintain his social status and image, he developed acts of performing violence. It is clear that in the society, violence is performed by people who are trying to establish and defend their self esteem, self image and significance. Despite the fact that these deeds are wrong the motivations to achieve social status through violence always prevail. Bateman is powerless to improve his situation and therefore he turns to murder. When people do not believe that he is capable of murder he feels intimidated and he turns from torture to cannibalism of his victims. The desire for Bateman to achieve social standards is followed by unexpected frustrations that make him to kill for satisfaction. In conclusion the environment that a person interacts with will help to forming the personality of a person. Reference Gehrmann, T. (2006). Parallelism of Character and Concept in American Psycho and Cosmopolis. Norderstedt: GRIN Verlag. Read More