This was a paper I wrote about the character of Patrick Bateman from the film "American Psycho" directed by Mary Harron. In the paper I tried to make the argument that his character is a warped refection of the value system within his society.
“I have to return some videotapes” is something Patrick Bateman says when he is confronted with a situation that he needs to escape from. Returning videotapes was also a common practice for people living in the 80s and 90s, so it is a perfectly logical excuse to get out of any situation. Patrick Bateman is a character who is very much a man of his time. He has successfully fit into the society in which he lives. But, Bateman’s value system is a contorted reflection of his society.
An early scene in the film depicts Bateman’s morning routine. The music is a repetitious piano music accompanied by a relaxing voice over narration by Bateman. The narration is a way for him to tell the audience about himself, specifically the particular details about his morning routine. Through this scene he depicts how obsessed he is with his physical appearance. He likes to take care of himself through a balanced diet and rigorous exercise. It is Interesting that he chooses the word “rigorous”, not just a normal exercise routine, but one that is extraneous because his body is so important to him. His body is so important to him because he wants to project the best image of himself that he can. Even the remark about how many stomach crunches he can do, is intended to impress us as the viewer. Our approval as viewers and the approval of others within his society are important to him.
His entire morning routine is done in a ritualized manner. Every chemical he applies to his face and body is done in a particular structured order. The purpose of this ritual is to show that he prefers things to be done in a proper order, as later evidenced in some of the murders he commits. The briefs shots we see of his apartment during his routine are also indicative of him wanting to keep his life in a particular order. The apartment is very plain looking with all white furniture. All the appliances in the kitchen are a plain metallic steel. There is no semblance of personality within the place, no particular characteristics that would let a visitor know whose place it was. I view it as a social commentary on his society how plain and un unique people are within it. More evidence of that can be found in the next scene I want to look at.
The next scene I want to address is the “Business Cards” scene. In the scene we see several of Bateman’s colleagues from the stock broking firm. There is a particular shot of three of them conversing on one side of the room, while Paul Allen speaks with Bateman. What is noticeable about that shot is that they are all dressed relatively the same way and with the same haircuts. Both Bateman and Paul Allen are dressed the same as well. What this shows yet again is that Bateman is living in a society lacking in uniqueness. They are almost interchangeable parts within their society. Allen even mistakes Bateman for another broker because he wears the same glasses, wears the same suits, and even goes to the same barber. Of course he must mention that despite that he still has the better haircut. Yet again the need to look better than anyone else arrises.
I feel the heart of this scene comes when Paul Allen is leaving the room and hands his business card to Justin Theroux’s character Bryce, who mentions that he has a reservation at Dorsia for 8:30 on Friday night. First when Allen hands the business card to Bryce there is a whoosh sound effect that seems to emphasize its importance. The same sound effect is used when Bateman immediately whips out his business card almost to counter the action of Allen. Bateman is obsessed with being atop the hierarchy in his male dominated society and he views Allen as a threat to his position. Dorsia is a place that he and his colleagues can not get a reservation at on a regular day, let alone a prime time like Friday night, so they are jealous of Allen, one even remarks that they think he is lying. But, Bateman views this jealousy as another form of admiration for Allen, which is why he brings out his new business card. He immediately boasts about the particulars of his card assuming they will be instantly impressed. Then his colleague Van Patten pulls out his card to upstage Bateman, which Bryce acknowledges in a positive way, much to the dismay of Bateman. Then to upstage both cards Bryce must pull out his own card. Bateman must salvage the situation by seeing Allen’s card because he needs to solidify his own male ego by having a better card than Allen. The body language of his colleagues as Allen’s card is produced is telling of just how perfect it is, they too are threatened by Allen but not to the extent Bateman is. The perfectness of the card is shattering to his ego, making him sweat and shake so much that he can not even hold the card for more than a few seconds. As this whole scene shows, Bateman and his colleagues are reflective of an egotistical society, the difference is that Bateman needs to do obscene things when his stature in that society is threatened.
The very next scene is the scene where Bateman confronts the homeless man names Al. I find it interesting that this scene immediately follows the business card scene because it depicts how Bateman acts when his stance in society is threatened and is a commentary on how his society treats the poor. The only way he can re-establish his place in the societal hierarchy is by showing his superiority over someone weaker than him. He chooses a homeless person for a couple of reasons, first because he views them as inferior people to himself, making it easy prey for him, and second because they are the exact opposite of what he is. He even goes as far as to flat out say that to Al right before he kills him. Bateman believes that he can get way with murdering a homeless person because the society in which he lives in does not even recognize them because they are so far beneath them in their societal hierarchy. But what is interesting about the scene is the manner in which he speaks to Al. He is standing over the man as he sits in the gutter pleading for help. What this scene shows is not only Bateman’s contempt for the poor but because he is a reflection of his society, it also depicts his society’s contempt as well.
A scene that I feel connects with the three previous scenes that I mentioned is the murder of Paul Allen. Even though he has killed poor Al after feeling threatened by Allen, the threat still lingers and he must get rid of it permanently. When Allen is sitting drunk in Bateman’s apartment, Bateman must go through a specific ritual, similar to his morning routine. He begins with berating Allen with an intellectual soliloquy on his views about the popular band Huey Lewis and the News. This shows that he needs to feel intellectually superior. What is interesting is that he chooses their song “Hip to Be Square” as their masterpiece. His choice is not coincidental because it is a song about the pleasure of social conformity and importance to have friends, which is a notion that Bateman is a living embodiment of. He is pretending to be hip while living in a square society. He conforms to social norms because that is what is expected of him. He is a social commentary about how hollow his society is.
While he is telling Allen his thoughts on the band, he goes through a series of personal checkpoints. He has already laid down newspaper and covered his white furniture. He wears a clear poncho like a raincoat to catch the blood splatter. He values the idea of physical cleanliness, so taking such precaution is normal for him. But it also exhibits the idea that no matter the act that is being committed a proper order and cleanliness is most important. While he is killing Allen, he yells out “Try getting a reservation at Dorsia Now.” I believe those words are important because they explain so much about why Bateman is killing Allen. He is killing Allen because of his values of jealousy, male dominance, and a fear of his stance in society.
The value system that Patrick Bateman exhibits throughout the film, although extreme, depicts the value system of society. But it can also be viewed as a cautionary tale for our society. If we adopt the same values of the society in which Bateman lives, we are in danger of becoming just like Bateman. What is frightening about that notion is that Bateman’s values are very human. The feelings of jealousy, wanting to be physically attractive, wanting to portray a great image, wanting to be wealthy, and as hard as it is to say we all have that feeling of wanting to be better than those around us, are human emotions. Bateman is just an extreme form of those very human feelings. As disturbing as this may sound there are already Patrick Bateman’s living among us. They may not commit the same heinous acts as him, but a similar mindset is there.
