American Psycho

Some books are meant for entertaining with a lighthearted message about friendship and love. Other books are more on the pessimistic side, meant to expose the darker places humanity resides. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis is a decent into the very essence of evil in American society. Just to be clear, this novel cuts deep. No cushion for the blow, no redemption. And it’s absolutely brilliant.

I’m a fan of unreliable narrators. They keep the reader on their toes, looking for any clues as to exactly what is the truth of the matter. Ellis’ choice to use Bateman as the unreliable narrator works to preserve the themes of the story while challenging readers to discover their own thoughts on the story. Is Bateman actually going out and torturing/killing after his workout and drinks at the most expensive place in the city? Is he just fantasizing and confusing what he thought about as real events in a spiral towards madness? Is he perhaps engaging in some of what he claims, such as torturing animals, and imagining the more horrific scenes? There is no way to tell for sure. In any of the possibilities, the book is still terrifying. Even if Bateman is not a murderer, he is still walking around daydreaming of killing and slipping out of control. It makes you look at the person picking out apples beside you in the grocery store with a little unease.

One of the things I loved about this book was the use of recurring symbols and ideas to strengthen the theme of soulless extreme capitalism in American culture. Les Miserables is mentioned throughout the book in posters, on the sides of buses, people humming songs from in, and so on.  I thought this was a great way not only to boost the ‘80’s feel of the setting but to make a point about Bateman and his colleagues need to be on the peak of popular culture. The musical was the biggest thing in New York at the time, anyone who is anyone would have seen it. This is why it registers on Bateman’s radar. However, he seems to be unable to grasp the message or emotions of that musical. It is only important because it’s popular. I also felt it was a poke at Bateman and his associates, as if they are the miserable ones and simply don’t realize it.

The Patty Winter’s Show is a way for Ellis to show Bateman’s mental health decline. The content of the show becomes increasingly bizarre, with juggling Nazis and an interview with Bigfoot. This reinforces the unreliable narrator feel of uncertainty. Was this really on tv or is this what Bateman saw through his insanity? The fact that he has almost an obsession to the show to the point he misses work meetings to watch it is also very revealing. Obviously, what’s on television is more interesting than the real people he has to deal with day to day. This extends to his focus on video, or his need to return his videotapes. He even films several of the murders. The videos and the devices to make and view them on are more appealing to Bateman than forming any sort of emotional bond with others.  

The addiction to designer fashion- I have mixed feelings on how Ellis handled this. Bateman dissects each person’s outfit he comes across in detail. In fact, Bateman is more capable of picking out which designer items came from than the names of his colleagues. This reinforces the theme; to Bateman everything is an object to be measured by quality and expense. However, as a reader, this gets old quick. It didn’t take long before my mind is drifting over the numerous lists of what people are wearing. I won’t lie, I know zip about ‘80’s fashion (or fashion period), so to me this mostly just cluttering the narrative up.  They were in expensive clothes, got it.

The overall structure of the book is not really the typical beginning, middle, and end readers are accustomed to. This was written as if Ellis had cut out a certain number of months of Bateman’s life that include his decent into madness (and possible serial killing spree) and made that a book. Bateman is a psychopath from the beginning, and remains so in the end. One could argue that perhaps he has come to understand himself by the end, finally realizing this is just what he does, but I felt he knew that already. He calls himself a psycho or explicitly threatens/states horrible things to dozens of people who aren’t paying attention to him throughout the book. I liked the anti-climactic ending; I get to believe that Bateman lives on in his warped world, but I know that will likely be a negative for others.

Probably the biggest controversy surrounding this book is the graphic violence, especially sexual torture and death of women. Ellis doesn’t beat around the bush with his gore. It’s brutal, sharp, and intended to make the audience squirm (and if you don’t squirm, I’m keeping an extra close eye on you). The big question is, was the graphic violence necessary? For me, yes. Absolutely yes. Hear me out on this. Considering the piece is written in first person from the perspective of the psychotic killer (or man suffering hallucinations) to skim over the details of the murders would be a disservice. Bateman lives in a pretty boring world. His so called friends talk about fashion, who’s who in the business world, their idol Trump (ummm, yikes), women they would like to sleep with, and other mundane stuff that really doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. They drink, take various drugs, and conduct various affairs to try to escape the fact they lack real emotional relationships and are bored. For Bateman, those sins aren’t enough. The power and rush he feels while torturing and killing are the pinnacle of his experience in everyday life. He would want to reveal in those moments more than listening to someone talk about how the Bahamas are for a vacation option at yet another overpriced restaurant. It would have been out of character for him to tone down the violence. As a woman, some of these scenes were rough to read through, but I felt that it wasn’t just pointless violence. Bateman enjoyed killing beautiful women because he saw them as purely objects for his own pleasure, even more so than his associates.

            Overall, I loved this book but it’s not a light, easy read. Be prepared to dig a little to fully digest and enjoy it. Hold onto something soft and comforting for the violent scenes, like a teddy bear or comfy husband.

Psycho

            

            If I were to mention the phrases Bates Motel, the Classic Psycho, or shower murder scene, the first thing that probably comes to mind is Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 cult classic film. The screeching violins and the unnerving performance Anthony Perkins gave as Norman Bates have a permanent place in pop culture. As great as that film is, this post is going to examine the novel that inspired the film, Robert Bloch’s Psycho. After reading this book, I can see why Hitchcock jumped on this source material for a movie. Psycho is a tension filled read that gives reader’s a view into the mind of someone mentally disturbed.

            One of the things that catches the reader from the start is the way Bloch masterfully uses the dynamic of relationships to get deeper insight on the characters. This is especially true of Norman, whose conversations with his mother and internal rambling between the normal persona and little boy persona showcase his motivations and insecurities. For Mary, how she thinks and feels about her relationships with her sister, Lily, and her fiancé, Sam, gives the reader a solid impression of who she is as a person.

            This novel is filled with active yet sympathetic characters. Everyone takes action based on their own goals which causes consequences that moves the plot forward. For example, Mary hastily stole the money and, in her rush to evade any repercussions, ends up lost enough to stop at a random motel along the highway. She wasn’t some flat innocent woman that just happened to fall into Norman’s psychotic world. Bloch was careful to make her a sympathetic character instead of merely a ‘bad’ person who has committed a crime that seals her fate. The audience is able to understand her desperation and her impulsive theft.

Norman is the prize character of this piece, obviously. The desire to simultaneously reject and protect his mother is a trait that readers can empathize with in some way or another. Everyone has experienced some variety of teen rebellion or at least growing apart from parental figures as they started off into their own life. Norman is trapped by his overbearing mother to such a degree that even after her death she is a voice in his head. I would argue the scenes where Norman is engaging with his other personas are the most interesting in the book. Bloch is careful to treat Norman’s mother like a real character and constructs these scenes to where it’s not obvious Norman is actual alone and suffering from dissociative identity disorder.  However, one of the negatives of reading this novel after Hitchcock’s popular film is that Bloch’s twist has little impact. Readers know from page one there’s no mother outside of Norman. In way, this makes for an interesting read to see how Bloch built the story to provide that twist. On the other hand, I can’t say for sure if the twist was a successful surprise for me or not. I’m just going to assume it was since the story has become cult classic.

Towards the middle of the book, the plot starts to drag a bit. Once Sam and Lily get involved in the search for Mary, they spend a great deal of the book waiting and dreading. They wait for Arbogast, they wait on the sheriff, and they sit around and wonder and worry. I don’t think this is necessarily a flaw in the text. I’m guessing this slow pace is meant to build up tension in the reader for the big twist ending. Part of the problem with knowing the twist is that this doesn’t quite increase the tension the same way. Instead of the reader gripping the book desperate to find out if Lily and Sam will be able to uncover what happened to Mary and survive Norman’s psychotic mother, the audience feels as if this part of the plot has been drawn out. This may also a bit of presentism on my part; I wanted the plot to go a bit quicker in the way of more current works of fiction.

Something I found hit perfectly with the book was the ending. Both the external and internal conflicts were resolved, but Bloch was able to give them both a finish that was neither fully positive nor negative. Bates is caught and brought to justice (taken to psychiatric facility) for the resolution of the external conflict. Although Lily is sympathetic and finds the decision not to give Bates a prison sentence fair, it does leave a sour taste. Norman Bates has killed multiple people including his own mother. He even planned out the best way to dispose of the bodies and cover his tracks. Mary also commits a crime on a whim, only later to come to her senses and realize she was being a little crazy to think she could get away with the theft. It makes one ponder if all criminals have some level of insanity and, if that is so, how do we differentiate between ones that deserve a prison sentence and ones that deserve mental health? In Norman’s internal conflict, the mother persona wins over completely, however she pushes the guilt onto “the boy” and “the man” personas. In the end, Norman has escaped his mother’s tyranny by becoming her, but any remorse for his actions is erased in the process. Again, it’s a finish that leaves the reader feeling uncomfortable.

Overall, this is a classic and worth the brief time it will take to read. Reveal in the masterful way Bloch handles Bates’ internal struggles and the thought provoking ending.