American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis and Cosmpolis by Don De Lillo both are stories that depict the decadence of their time, hinting at social, moral and political issues that are of importance in their respective times.
In both books New York as the world centre of capitalism serves as a stage for two main characters who are shapen by the enormous amounts of money they have at their disposal. The characters and their interaction with society are the central points in both books. While Don De Lillo’s Cosmopolis deals at a time no clearly defined, which is probably supposed to be the post modern world of the early 2000s, Bret Easton Ellis’ book is set in the booming New York of the 80s where people who work on Wall Street are treated like pop stars and many of them well known as heroes of capitalism (e.g. Warren Buffet and Donald Trump). The book by Bret Easton Ellis takes us into this decadent cocain addicted world, that basically revolves the hunger for parties and sex.
The book by Don De Lillo presents a totally different atmosphere. The atmosphere is rather shapen by fear of those that have come too short in the capitalist world and the security needs of those who work on wall street who have by now become anonymous figures, that may only be identified by their stretch limousines. The world of Cosmopolis has become darker and more dangerous; wild parties are no longer celebrated, just as get togethers of business people don’t seem to happen in public, mainly for security reasons. The pace of the world has also changed as computers and video transmit news from all over the world into cars that have become indistinguishable from offices.
Yet both books have a lot in common in terms of the topics they deal with and the kinds of characters they portrait. While Cosmopolis only draws a kind of gloomy atmosphere, American Psycho is also one of the funniest books I have ever read and has been turned into a fantastic movie, with which I have compared some of the scenes.
Table of Contents
I Introduction
II The character of Patrick Bateman
III The character of Eric Packer
IV Comparison of the two characters
Objectives and Topics
The study examines the parallelism between the characters Patrick Bateman from American Psycho and Eric Packer from Cosmopolis, focusing on how extreme wealth and the capitalist environment of New York shape their detachment from society and moral decline.
- Analysis of the influence of capitalist excess on individual psychology.
- Exploration of social isolation and dehumanization among the wealthy elite.
- Comparison of character-driven responses to existential emptiness.
- Investigation into how both protagonists navigate their respective social realities.
- Examination of the moral and ethical vacuum within contemporary financial centers.
Excerpt from the Book
II The Character of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho
American Psycho is set in the stock-market fueled economy, cocaine addicted investment banking world of mid to late 80s New York. AIDS is an issue in the book, but only a minor one, since those that are white, male and rich cannot get the disease since it it according to van Patten, one of the investment banking yuppies dealing with mergers and acquisitions who is in Patrick Bateman’s peer group, states that there is only a zero-zero-zero point zero-one percentage of getting the virus.
The story is accompanied by the “hip to be square” attitude of everybody that surrounds Patrick – everybody is rich, everybody is good looking and everybody has a great body. This leads to a certain uniformity of all high class wall street people that all share the same interests, the same clothes, vacation spots etc. and that are thus easily mistaken for each other, leading to an unability to make out the individual.
In this world everything is valued according to its price (haircuts, apartments), its rarity (e.g. the Dorsia’s restaurant where it is almost impossible to get a reservation) or the fame of people (e.g. the Pizza place with bad pizza that suddenly becomes a lot better in the light of having been chosen as number one pizzeria by Donald Trump,). In Patrick’s world a Pizza can cost 90 $ or a couple of cups of coffee can amount to 300 $, but nobody cares. Everything is concentrated on superficial things such as these prices – and only in the light of this superficiality the character of Patrick Bateman makes any sense.
Chapter Summary
I Introduction: Provides an overview of both novels, setting them in the context of capitalist New York and introducing the central themes of decadence, moral decay, and character psychology.
II The character of Patrick Bateman: Analyzes the protagonist of American Psycho, detailing his obsessions with superficial status symbols, his violent tendencies, and his struggle to conform to a hollow social environment.
III The character of Eric Packer: Examines the life of Eric Packer in Cosmopolis, focusing on his extreme isolation, his technological disconnection from reality, and his eventual nihilistic spiral.
IV Comparison of the two characters: Synthesizes the commonalities and differences between Bateman and Packer, highlighting how both are products and victims of the moral vacuum created by extreme capitalist success.
Keywords
American Psycho, Cosmopolis, Bret Easton Ellis, Don DeLillo, capitalism, New York, Patrick Bateman, Eric Packer, decadence, social isolation, dehumanization, yuppie, wealth, existentialism, morality
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this research paper?
The paper explores the character parallels between the protagonists of American Psycho and Cosmopolis, focusing on how their extreme wealth and environment lead to a loss of humanity.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The analysis covers topics such as capitalist excess, social detachment, the dehumanizing effects of material wealth, and the existential crisis of the elite.
What is the primary goal of the author?
The goal is to demonstrate that both characters serve as symbols for the moral and ethical vacuum inherent in an intensified capitalist system.
Which methodology is applied in the study?
The paper uses a comparative literary analysis approach to evaluate character traits, motivations, and the sociopolitical backdrops of both novels.
What does the main body of the text analyze?
It provides detailed psychograms of Patrick Bateman and Eric Packer, followed by a direct comparison of their behaviors, obsessions, and reactions to their environments.
Which keywords define this work?
The work is defined by terms like capitalism, social isolation, decadence, moral vacuum, and psychological alienation.
How does Patrick Bateman’s social environment affect his psyche?
His environment requires a rigid adherence to superficial status symbols and conformity, which Bateman attempts to escape through his dark and violent fantasies.
In what way does the environment of Eric Packer differ from that of Patrick Bateman?
While Bateman is obsessed with fitting into his social circle, Packer is deeply isolated, living behind security measures that detach him from the physical reality of the world.
- Quote paper
- Timm Gehrmann (Author), 2006, Parallelism of character and concept in American Psycho and Cosmopolis, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/68978
