Essays on American Psycho

In “American Psycho,” Bret Easton Ellis tells the story of Patrick Bateman, a wealthy, young investment banker who lives a double life as a serial killer. Bateman is a handsome, well-educated man who seems to have it all, but he is secretly a psychopath who enjoys torturing and murdering people. As the novel progresses, Bateman’s murderous impulses become increasingly uncontrollable, and he descends into madness. In the end, Bateman is caught and arrested for his crimes, but the novel leaves it ambiguous as to whether he is actually punished or whether he simply imagines himself being punished.