The purpose of this paper is to analyze Patrick Bateman in "American Psycho" as a symbol and personification of a particular kind of society that critics have called the postmodern era of late capitalism. Bret Easton Ellis portrays Patrick as an individual whose life focuses primarily on obsessive consumerism. The condition of postmodernity marks the production of countless commodities that lead to excessive consumerism. This aspect is eminent in Patrick Bateman’s behavior which leads to his toxic masculine conduct and seriality of repetitiveness.
I argue that the main character, Patrick Bateman, represents these aspects because of a society that focuses above all on outer appearance and status. The aspiration for this ideal causes people to treat themselves and others harmfully. That circumstance makes characters such as Patrick Bateman and others like him treat people as consumer goods while disregarding their feelings and values.
"American Psycho" represents this pattern by portraying Patrick Bateman as an ideal performer who endlessly consumes, which shapes his view on others and leads to the subsequent murders since everyone has no real identity and becomes, therefore, interchangeable. Under the economic conditions of postmodernity, where everything is a commodity, people treat other people like commodities and in the same way that products are disposable, people become throwaway as well.
Hence, people, particularly women, turn into products for Patrick that he may repeatedly kill because he values having the most of everything; accumulating killing adds to his sense of status. He describes commodities in his environment in the same way he describes the narratives of his serial killings and other acts of violence. Patrick Bateman is merely a part of his environment, where everyone feels the urge to be more significant and superior to everyone else, which inevitably leads to the perpetuation of the same pattern.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Theoretical Considerations
- 2.1 Postmodernism - A Culture of Late Capitalism
- 2.2 Gender Theory - Masculinity
- 2.3 Serial Consumerism
- 3. The Importance and Effects of Commodities
- 3.1 Patrick Bateman - Forging an Identity
- 3.2 'I Want to Fit in': A Media Product of Capitalism
- 3.3 The Loss of Identity
- 4. Toxic Masculinity in a Culture of Late Capitalism
- 4.1 Patrick Bateman - Dominance and Superiority
- 4.2 Consumerism's Effects on Patrick Bateman's Masculinity
- 4.3 The Subjugation and Murder of Women
- 5. Seriality - The Consumer and Killer
- 5.1 The Parallel of Patrick Bateman's Seriality
- 5.2 The Sense of Reality amidst Media Abundance
- 5.3 A Serial Killer of Consumer Culture - Imagination or Reality?
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to analyze Patrick Bateman as a symbol and personification of postmodern late capitalism, highlighting the impact of excessive consumerism on his toxic masculinity and seriality. Through exploring the novel's portrayal of Patrick's life and his obsessive focus on consumption, the paper seeks to understand how societal pressures for appearance and status contribute to harmful behaviors.
- The influence of postmodern late capitalism on consumerism and identity
- The manifestation of toxic masculinity in Patrick Bateman's character
- The role of seriality as a symptom of consumerist excess
- The blurring of reality and imagination in a media-saturated society
- The dehumanization of individuals in a culture obsessed with commodities
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The introduction of the paper establishes the context of Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho, focusing on the character of Patrick Bateman, a seemingly successful Wall Street yuppie who engages in serial murder. It highlights the novel's exploration of the impact of postmodern late capitalism on societal values, particularly in the context of the 1980s. It also introduces the paper's objective of examining Patrick Bateman as a representation of this era's societal pressures.
Chapter 2 delves into the theoretical framework of postmodernism, gender theory, and serial consumerism. It explores the concepts of postmodernism as a culture of late capitalism, examines the role of gender performativity and toxic masculinity, and discusses the phenomenon of serial consumerism, setting the stage for analyzing Patrick Bateman's behavior.
Chapter 3 examines the significance and impact of commodities on Patrick Bateman's identity and behavior. It explores how he attempts to construct his identity through consumption, highlighting the pressures of a media-saturated society that encourages conformity. The chapter also examines the loss of identity in a culture obsessed with appearance and status.
Chapter 4 focuses on toxic masculinity within the context of postmodern late capitalism, analyzing Patrick Bateman's dominance and superiority, as well as the influence of consumerism on his masculinity. The chapter explores the connection between his toxic masculinity and the subjugation and murder of women, providing insight into his violent tendencies.
Chapter 5 investigates the parallel between Patrick Bateman's seriality and his consumerism, examining his repetitive and monotonous acts of violence and consumption as manifestations of the postmodern condition. It explores the blurring of reality and imagination within a media-saturated society, questioning the distinction between Patrick's imagined and actual actions.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Key terms and themes central to the analysis include: postmodernism, late capitalism, toxic masculinity, consumerism, seriality, identity, media, violence, and the dehumanization of individuals.
- Quote paper
- F. Mandi (Author), 2023, Postmodernism’s Effects on Masculinity and Consumerism in Bret Easton Ellis’s "American Psycho", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1339279
