American Psycho as a Postmodern Text

Abstract

This research analyzed the webbed plot portrayed in American Psycho. The main character of the text is Patrick Bateman. He is alienated from society. This study showed the correlation between his false identity and other postmodern features. At first, this paper examined the fundamental postmodern experiences of the main character of this text and uncovered the role of consumerism that gave birth to such a character through the means of excessive greed, jealousy and wealth. Jean Baudrillard’s concept of hyperreality and Fredric Jameson’s theory of late capitalism were used in order to show the existence of consumer culture in the text which is filtering the reality through value, exchange and production. Different perspectives of the postmodern issues were discussed and analyzed in order to show the intensity of the issues. One of the essays of Ihab Hassan was also utilized in order to show the depiction of few postmodern features. Furthermore, the horror of the consumer society was analyzed in relation to postmodern elements which are present in the text. However, the research is based on a descriptive qualitative method. The data used in the research were collected through different books and articles. Moreover, the novel can be considered as a postmodern text as it contains the features of postmodernism.