Appearance Vs Reality In American Psycho

The Double Life of Patrick Bateman: Appearance versus Reality in American Psycho

American Psycho's protagonist Patrick Bateman clearly pretends to be someone that he is not. The novel’s reality is nevertheless admittedly difficult to determine. Bateman is after all not in full possession of his faculties. To me, it is unlikely that he committed the brutal crimes. He is constantly putting on an act in every situation. He claims to support feminist causes, racial and social justice, non-violence, and war on drugs. As the novel progresses, Bateman reveals his true colors. Drug abuse has taken its toll on his mental state. Obviously mentally unstable, he is obsessed with frivolous details. An unapologetic materialist and braggart, he perceives everything and everyone in terms of brands. The inability to form an opinion without consulting the media makes him shallow. He enjoys cruelly denigrating the poor. A stereotype of a wealthy Caucasian straight male, he is blatantly

Personally, he strikes me as a stereotype of an entitled white straight male who thinks he is superior to others. Bateman fits the description. Thinking women’s only task is to satisfy men sexually (AP 63), he exploits them. Furthermore, he habitually calls them names, such as a “dumb bitch” (AP 48) and a “hardbody” (AP 63). The latter slur reinforces the notion of women as “objects of desire” (Blazer). He also constantly hurls verbal abuse at ethnic minorities: “nigger” (AP 133), “kike” (AP 103). Upon witnessing a LGBT Pride, Bateman is disgusted: “my mind is reeling with the concept that a human being, a man, could feel pride over sodomizing another man …” (AP 94). Scared, he quickly runs away. On another occasion, Bateman fears that some gay man is leering at him: “he is probably checking out my back, ass, leg muscles” (AP 48). In addition, he frequently uses a pejorative word “faggot” (AP