American Psycho: A True Reflection Of Capitalism

If you want to learn about capitalism, watch or read American Psycho.

American Psycho is the third novel by Bret Easton Ellis, which was first published in 1991. As soon as it was published, the book sparked heated discussion and debate in America.

Feminists claimed that the book is an instruction on how to kill women, it was not published in England in a cheap paperback so that the poor, i.e., “potential rapists”, could not buy it.

The novel was met with mixed reviews, with some calling it inauthentic sadistic pornography while others praised the author’s attempt to create an immersive and realistic portrayal of life in the 1980s.

Some even described it as a reflection of the growing divide between rich and poor and how it can lead to a feeling of hopelessness.

American Psycho is an interesting book that tests the reader’s ability to read between the lines.

The protagonist and narrator of the story, Patrick Bateman, is a young investment banker who works on Wall Street. He is successful and leads a rich, luxurious life. He is well-groomed, regularly exercises, frequents beauty salons, and has a great fashion and culinary sense. Just writing this reminds me of my friends and coworkers I had in the US and how they were exact copies of Patrick. And they were so proud of it.

He is attractive, he adores women, he has a girlfriend whom he cheats on with the girlfriends of his colleagues, with an escort, he likes to snort cocaine, his favorite drink is J&B whiskey, he likes hard porn, books about mass murderers, he loves The Patty Winters Show.

Ellis portrays these murders with ruthless precision, without any embellishments or softened edges which is why it caused the almost hysterical antipathy towards both the book and the author.

The message behind the text is much more severe than just a few pages of graphic violence.

The book is not only a picture of the eighties of the twentieth century, just like the movie Wall Street.

It is a timeless picture and very much alive today, too.

I would say more than ever.

It portrays vanity, the pursuit of possessions, and an obsessive obsession with being better, more beautiful, and more perfect than others. Bateman himself is a caricature who almost has a heart attack when he discovers that his colleagues have better business cards than he does.

The story is not about violence, but it is a dark comedy — a parody of The Wolf of Wall Street. The book mocks busy young businessmen (yuppies ), who are so busy that they can’t even recognize their colleagues and acquaintances.

The book is a pamphlet on successful men and women who outdo themselves in banalities.

American Psycho is far from being a timeless book, but it should not be dismissed out of hand.

First, it is an attempt to probe and peer into the mind of a mass murderer. The fact that the main character has a woman’s head in the refrigerator, eats the brain of his victim, or tries to cook human flesh is completely normal, and the only thing that bothers him about it is his insufficient cooking skills.

Killing actually becomes a stereotype just like other bodily needs and functions.

Isn’t this the reflection of today’s American society where mass shootings became just daily stereotypes?

Second, the main character may not be a serial killer at all.

That’s the joke.

In the grand finale of the story, we are not at all sure whether the main character was really a killer, or just an ordinary person who only imagined all those murders, and took revenge in his mind against the people whom he despises — those who hate him, made fun of him or were more successful than him.

Third, Ellis’s book is a rebuke of extreme materialism as a religion, materialism as a reality that is the only, the only tangible, all-pervading reality that is more important than human relationships, which thus take on a perfectly superficial form. In every perfect capitalist society that is how relationships work, we see this everywhere.

The book addresses our personal demons, which we all fight against every day in our capitalist society. Exhausted from the world around us, it’s easy to get lost and feel like we’re struggling alone; we play into learned roles for self-defense, rather than constantly trying to improve and live life to the fullest — as Sartre would put it, be authentic.

By discussing money and success, we explore the dark side of human nature that can be distorted and unappealing. By looking into the mirror, we might see our own inner demons lurking beneath the surface.

American Psycho is a direct reflection of capitalism where only money and appearance matters.

This may seem like an odd statement, but it is true. American Psycho is a searing indictment of the capitalist system. It shows how the pursuit of money and power leads to greed, corruption, and ultimately, violence.

The life of Patrick Bateman, a wealthy investment banker who lives in New York City is a symbol of the excesses of capitalism.

Isn’t that what everyone living in America believes is the American dream, you made it, or you are the success? And it goes beyond America to every country or city that worships capitalism.

Isn’t that why everyone is admiring celebrities and billionaires despite the fact they are psychopaths?

Even they want to become like them. That is really sick.

American Psycho is not a pleasant book. It is brutal and violent. But it is an accurate portrayal of the dark side of capitalism.