Fleming 1

Lauren Fleming

Mr. Phillips

Cultural Media Literacy Honors

20 May 2018

Delving into the Themes of American Psycho

When Bret Easton Ellis’s book American Psycho was first released it was met with

backlash due to its controversial subject matter. The original publisher dropped the book, The

National Organization of Women tried to organize boycotts and Ellis received death threats

(Grow). Fortunately Mary Harron fought to direct the film adaptation of American Psycho and

was able to clarify the satirical book’s message about the destructive culture of the 80’s. The film

American Psycho is a social commentary on the dangers of toxic masculinity and consumer

capitalism.

At the beginning of the film, Bateman describes his extensive morning routine to the

audience. Bateman is portrayed as self-absorbed and shallow, trying to fit the image of the other

elite Wall Street men (Jhmcpherson). Bateman’s interactions with women and his male

colleagues clearly show his sexism. He criticizes Jean, his receptionist, for what she wears

several times. First telling her to wear a dress or skirt and high heels because he likes them better

and then telling her she should change before she goes out to dinner with him. The majority of

Bateman’s victims are women, which is what sparked protests from many feminists when the

book and then film were first released. Bateman is an outsider, so he uses violence to prove his

masculinity. Around his peers, Bateman feels inferior and ignored but by killing women he can

get the control and pleasure he desires. He hires prostitutes and forces them to listen to his

thoughts on music to get the attention he does not get anywhere else in his life. Bateman attempts
 Fleming 2

to imitate masculinity by buying the women, giving them drugged drinks, making them listening

to him, and then killing them (Jhmcpherson). Even though most of his targets are women,

Bateman will not hesitate to kill a man if the said man makes him feel inferior. Bateman uses

violence to get even against Paul Allen, killing Allen allows him to release his anger and

jealousy towards him. The toxic ideals of masculinity surrounding Bateman do not allow men to

freely express their emotions and so Bateman feels like he can only release his emotions through

violence.

Bateman, and the other men around him, see women through a toxic male gaze. When

Bateman’s TV is shown, it is either displaying pornography or a woman getting killed in a horror

movie. In a conversation between Bateman and his colleagues they exclaim that “there are no

girls with good personalities.” They see women as sex objects and only care about a woman’s

appearance. American Psycho does not try to make the audience understand or sympathize for

Bateman, the film ridicules him. Christian Bale, who plays Bateman in the film, said “you laugh

at him, not with him (Rose).” By ridiculing Bateman, the fragility of masculinity is also being

made fun of. Patrick and his colleagues try to one up each other throughout the movie by having

the best business card or getting reservations at Dorsia and other trendy restaurants. Bateman’s

masculinity is obviously desperate and hollow and the business card scene parodies alpha-male

posturing (Gilmor). The competition over business cards is comedic because from the audience’s

point of view, the cards are practically the same. Because of this, Bateman’s reaction to Paul

Allen’s business card seems overly dramatic and the ominous music further dramatizes

Bateman’s overreaction. Bateman’s character continues to look foolish as he flexes in the mirror

while having sex and makes awkward jokes in an attempt to fit in. In Bateman’s world

masculinity is linked to financial success and capitalistic values. The men flaunt their designer
 Fleming 3

suits and business cards to prove their manhood so of course Bateman does so as well as he

desperately tries “to conform himself to fit the narrow mold of masculinity shaped by corporate

America in the 1980s (Jhmcpherson).”

In addition to critiquing toxic masculinity, American Psycho critiques the consumerist

attitudes of yuppies during the 80’s. Bateman and his colleagues are never shown doing work at

Pierce & Pierce. They are instead shown going to clubs, fancy restaurants, and proving their

success through materialistic means such as suits, drugs, business cards, and dinner reservations

(Jhmcpherson). Bateman hates his job but when his fiancé, Evelyn, asks him why he does not

quit he says “because I want to fit in.” Bateman tries to fit in by conversing and joking with his

colleagues but in reality Bateman’s attempts to fit in makes him invisible and he is often

misrecognized for someone else. Everyone conforms to one image and no one bothers to form

relationships with each other. One of Bateman’s first victims in the film is a homeless man.

Bateman tells the homeless man his “negative attitude” is keeping him from getting a job and is

visibly disgusted when the man grabs him. Bateman insults the homeless man and tells him he is

unable to help him because he has nothing in common with him and then stabs the man.

Bateman’s feelings of contempt towards the homeless man are a commentary on how people like

Bateman- wealthy, Wall Street workers- are ignorant to the struggles of poverty and ignore

people who cannot benefit them.

Bateman’s ability to get away with murder also creates a commentary about his class

position. No one believes Bateman is capable of murder not just because they view him as a

“dork,” but also because they chose to be blind to it. When Bateman outright admits to murder, it

is often ignored. When Bateman says “I like to dissect girls, did you know I’m utterly insane?”

to Paul Allen, Allen responds with “great tan, Marcus” and when Luis sees Bateman suspiciously
 Fleming 4

dragging a large bag, Luis only asks “Where did you get that overnight bag?” The blindness of

Bateman’s peers is because of their obsession with wealth and status, their self-absorbedness

makes immoral behavior become irrelevant (American Psycho Analysis).

Through the character of Patrick Bateman, American Psycho characterizes the dangerous

social trends of the 80’s that in many ways still continue today. While exaggerated, the film

shows how living in a superficial, materialistic society is isolating and destructive to everyone

living in it.
 Fleming 5

Works Cited

“American Psycho Analysis.” Weebly. altmaterialism.weebly.com/american-psycho.html.

Accessed 18 May 2018.

Gillmor, Alison. "Feminist horror: plotting against patriarchy." Herizons, Summer 2015, p. 20+.

Gender Studies Collection.

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A427758278/PPGB?u=rale84535&sid=PPGB&xid=b

98b44a2. Accessed 18 May 2018.

Grow, Kory. “’American Psycho’ at 25: Bret Easton Ellis on Patrick Bateman’s Legacy.”

RollingStone, 31March 2016, www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/american-psycho-at-

25-bret-easton-ellis-on-patrick-batemans-legacy-201603. Accessed 19 May 2018.

Jhmcpherson. “American Psycho’s Representation of Masculinity and Consumption.”

WordPress, 29 Oct. 2016, rhms200fall2016.wordpress.com. Accessed 6 May 2018.

Rose, Charlie. “American Psycho.” Charlierose.com, 13 April 2000,

https://charlierose.com/videos/1102.