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 o
These thoughts seem to come to Bateman most frequently at these types of situations. Wealthy friends, wealthy strangers, and a wealthy environment surround him. Either consciously or subconsciously Bateman's mind diverts itself from the monotonous world that Bateman grows to loathe, to a world that Bateman loves. Although the thoughts occur the most often in restaurants, I can't say with certainty that food has anything to do with the ideas floating around in Batemans head. Bateman is somewhat fascinated by food and does at times seem to pick a certain type of food or drink to fit a certain mood. The most common example of this is Bateman's drink of choice; J&B, either on the rocks or straight. Bateman orders J&B the majority of the time, but at certain times usually when he is angry, frustrated, or bored with the company he is currently sharing he orders a beer or maybe some other alternate mixed drink. At times Bateman seems uneasy or confused about something and he seems to have trouble ordering. Times like these show a somewhat insecure side of Bateman. He even gets frustrated over a change in shampoo, which makes him so insecure he almost cries. This isn't just a pursuit of perfection on Bateman's part, it's also Bateman's constant struggle for acceptance. Although Bateman is momentarily shocked by his actions after killing the kid in the park, he recovers quickly and even makes a great attempt at looking innocent. Bateman feels no remorse whatsoever in these situations though. He basically feels nothing. On the other hand he is constantly angered, frustrated, or bored while doing minor things like conversing, shopping, or talking on the phone. It seems he is turned off by these simple everyday acts. Throughout the novel the only thing that increasingly holds his attention is the killing and torture he looks forward to at night. Even sex seems to take a back seat to his number one fascination. Often times a night of wild sex with two women will start to bore Bateman and he'll start the torture, which seems to be his intent all along. The sex seems like more of a warm-up for the rest of the evenings blood and guts. In contrast to the everyday trials and tribulations of Patrick Bateman, nights seem to be a mixture of chaos and order.
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1536
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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