It is 1987 in New York City, and the audience is introduced to our main character, Patrick Bateman, who appears instantly as an intellectual, wealthy, young, playboy, who plays investment banker by day and serial killer by night. The dichotomy of this film is that the viewer is dealing with what seems to be an upper-class, possibly narcissistic, young man in the prime of his life with a beautiful fiancé and plenty of women willing to be with Patrick who do not acknowledge the engagement Patrick has with another woman. Then, on the other hand, you have a man whose life revolves around to the aspect to be insatiable for things we might find shocking, yet Patrick finds as imperative parts of his life and daily routine such as: woman, sex, murder, decapitation, money, keeping up appearances, and being a socialite among the circle of prosperous and superficial associates and friends that encompass Patrick’s life. Patrick lives in a lavish, luxurious apartment that is practically lacking in any color but white, except for the times we see Patrick commit murder and then the white apartment is splattered with a bright red which contrasts everything in Patrick’s life.
This young man does everything someone of his status would do such as going to fancy restaurants, and having a beautiful and wealthy fiancé at his side, while also finding delights in some other pursuits as well. Patrick prides himself keeping his body in shape and also has an infatuation for particular musical artists such as: Whitney Houston, Huey Lewis and the News, and Phil Collins. This man appreciates these musicians so much that when Patrick has visitors and they are not into this type of music or do not show the same admiration, this man goes from being polite to homicidal very quickly, which often leads to their death. The ironic element about Patrick Bateman is that his darker side comes out when Patrick is disgusted with every person in this man’s inner circle, yet Patrick still acts interested in what they have to say and does his best to get through his daily meetings with these individuals.
During Patrick’s daily pursuits at the office and at home, this man tends to finds himself in a myriad of precarious situations in which Patrick’s anger and frustration tends to overcome him like a “Jekyll vs. Hyde” complex and Patrick feels forced to do away with the problem immediately. The issue is Patrick’s way methodology of dealing with these problem which is to exterminate them instantly, no matter what it takes or what it might cost Patrick. You get a sense throughout the film, as Patrick moves on from one murder to another, especially as they become more gruesome and public, that Patrick is begging to be caught, but it is as if Patrick lives in a bubble and the outside world is impervious to the things Patrick has done.
Even though we as viewers get to see Patrick’s violent, insurmountable crimes that would shock anyone around him, it becomes apparent as the film progresses that what Patrick is seeing and what we are seeing is not what is actually happening, unless others like his socialite friends just do not care, which is doubtful. It is at this time when Patrick begins to unravel psychologically to the point Patrick begins seeing things that are not there and even envisions an ATM machine asking him to “feed it a kitten” so this man tries to take a stray kitten and kill it by putting it into the ATM slot, luckily a homeless woman stops Patrick. Unfortunately, for her, Patrick shoots her and lets the animal go free.
It is around this time that Patrick envisions the police on his tail, since Patrick at this point has hidden so many mutilated bodies in his apartment, Patrick knows they must be looking for the culprit or at the least investigating him as a possible suspect. Patrick rushes back to his apartment to hide the evidence, even though he Patrick usually very tidy when it comes to cleaning up after his murders. There, Patrick finds the investigators but there is nothing there as if no one has ever even lived there. It actually drives Patrick to the point that of a desire to confess everything that Patrick has done because Patrick can no longer live with the guilt but even as Patrick explains to one of his friends one of his indiscretions, they just laugh it off as if it were silly and that this man is just playing a joke on them. It is then when Patrick realizes that no matter what outlandish murders Patrick is responsible for, it is not really happening or no one cares which allows his narcissistic nature to take over and enable Patrick with feelings of pleasure as to what this man has accomplished.
When it comes to psychoanalyzing this character, there are a variety of theories as to what particular disorder Patrick is exhibiting. “This man represents an almost total lack of ego, a superego based on a deviant morality, and an id allowed to act out its most depraved fantasies. This shows how the superego and id can form a perverse pact capable of producing sadistic violence and a loss of distinction between reality and fantasy” (Schaffer, 2016). It is evident almost immediately to the viewer that Patrick is suffering from what is called “BPD” or “Borderline Personality Disorder” as Patrick clearly exhibits the symptoms of encompassing more than one personality and being on the brink of a breakdown at any moment, especially towards the end of the film.
Bateman’s life is filled with lavish, material things, yet it is totally vacant of anything of substance. His interactions with friends is bland, almost to the point of boring. It is as if Patrick is aching for something to come out so that Patrick can jump into action and take care of the problem but it never happens. Besides the apparent concern with his mental health, one could view this film as a retrospect on society during the 1980’s. Some believe that the “final theme presented in the film, is an obsession with the superficial that comes with conformity and consumerism. Patrick Bateman lived in a world where people were only what their social status and clothes said they were” (Sraow, 2016).
Finally, it is evident that Bateman is aware of his surroundings and his intellectual instincts are distinct. Patrick becomes mentally aware of how fake his life has become because Patrick is no longer feeling any type of positive gratification from his environment or those Patrick confides in. By the end of the film, Patrick has lost his will and meaning in life, which puts this man deeper into the realm of illusion where Patrick derives most of his memories in relation to the murders Patrick believes his character has committed. Overall, the film, “American Psycho” is not only an analysis of Patrick Bateman, himself, but of the decade and time period in which the narrative is taking place. During the 1980’s, the ideals of consumerism, being able to conform, and being superficial in both mental and physical manners were a part of societal values. So, I believe it can be argued that this film is both an analysis of a character driven by narcissism and borderline personalities as well as the environment in which Patrick Bateman resides in.
References
Schaffer, C. (2016). Examining the Personality of Patrick Bateman of American Psycho.
Retrieved August 10, 2016, from
http://www.academia.edu/349102/Examining_the_Personality_of_Patrick_Bateman_of_American_Psycho
Sraow, D. (2016). How American Psycho and Specifically the Character Patrick Bateman Show
the Major Problems in 1980’s American Culture. Retrieved August 10, 2016, from
www.public.asu.edu/~srbeatty/100/ProposalAPsycho.doc
