Bateman is obsessed with his appearance, his status, and his possessions, and constantly compares himself to others. He is also engaged to Evelyn, a shallow and snobbish socialite, whom he does not love. Bateman’s life is a series of routines and rituals, which he describes in meticulous and monotonous detail.
However, Bateman also has a dark and secret side: he is a psychopath who murders, tortures, rapes, and mutilates people, mostly women, but also homeless men, children, animals, and even his co-workers. Bateman’s crimes are often motivated by his boredom, his rage, his envy, or his sexual fantasies.
He also enjoys listening to pop music, watching pornography, and reading fashion magazines, which he often critiques and analyzes in his narration. Bateman’s narration is unreliable, as he often confuses names, dates, events, and facts. He also experiences hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia, which make him question his own sanity and identity.
The novel is divided into seven parts, each named after a month, from November 1988 to June 1989. The novel does not have a linear or coherent plot, but rather consists of a series of episodes and scenes, some of which are connected, and some of which are not.
The novel ends with Bateman confessing his crimes to his lawyer, who does not believe him and mistakes him for someone else. Bateman realizes that he will never be caught or punished, and that his life will continue as before. He also acknowledges that he has no hope of redemption or change, and that he is simply “a face in the crowd”.
Heading 3: Reception of American Psycho
American Psycho was one of the most controversial and debated novels of the 1990s. The novel was originally supposed to be published by Simon & Schuster, but the publisher dropped it in 1990, after receiving negative feedback from some of its readers and employees.
The novel was then picked up by Vintage Books, a division of Random House, which published it in 1991. The novel received a lot of criticism and backlash from various groups and individuals, who accused it of being misogynistic, violent, pornographic, and immoral.