In the novel "American Psycho" written by Bret Easton Ellis, Patrick Bateman 's use of violence and his wealth are exemplified in scenes involving the murder of his ex-girlfriend Bethany. As well as appealing to the idea to maintain an upscale image by any means such as purchasing expensive merchandise and taking the initiative to attend upscale restaurants. His actions with the implications of those elements reveal the consumptions of status and privilege. The detailed narration of Bateman 's intense violent acts and purchases of expensive products creates imaginary and conflict for readers to accept the appearance he is trying to come across to his associates and the general public. This may result in readers rejecting his character and …show more content…
To convey this point, I first identify what consumption is and the two additional components to it. As well as providing two scenes that suggest that theme resulting in those two sub-points. Not to mention, I intend to present several transitional periods in the novel going back and forward from first illustrating Bateman 's disappearance of control to then aiming to recover it by inflicting pain on others. Then, bring to an end how his actions can be understood and how it affects what readers can take away from the novel. Consumption can be seen in the reading as the fixation on acquiring materials, or upholding an image. This aspect is crucial to the novel "American Violence" because it motivates/contributes to the actions of each character. For instance, the text states, "In the early light of a May dawn this is what the living room of my apartment looks like…A glass-top coffee table with oak legs with by Turchin sits in front of the sofa, with Steuben glass animals, placed strategically around expensive crystal ashtrays from Fortunoff, though I don 't smoke" (Ellis 25). This passage represents consumption focusing on the fixation on acquitting materials. For the reason that mentioning, "with crystal ashtrays… though I don 't smoke" indications how that item, in particular, is not beneficial for Bateman since he does not smoke. However, looking at the text suggests that it was necessary for him to have the ashtray
The novel, “The Catcher in the Rye” involves an older teenager named Holden who surrounds himself with his pessimistic emotions, gradually affecting him in tense situations. Often, he refuses to comprehend situations which ends miserably for him. A major role for his reckless actions are caused by his fearful feelings that he has not suppressed, “Contaminated he is, of course, by vulgarity, lust, lies, temptations, recklessness, and cynicism” (Peterson 1). Throughout the novel, his unfavorable emotions were represented as well as the negative outcome of his situations. In that moment of time, his thoughts affect his actions as a result of becoming further depressed than he already happens to be. If he was able to analyze the situation and think logically, he would avoid multiple situations without feeling pessimistic about his choices.
American Psycho is an incredible film with an even more brilliant cast; Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, and Reese Witherspoon, to name a few. When the scene opens, you see Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) going about a normal healthy life as a wealthy investment banker. But then you start to see the secret life he is leading as a serial killer. When he and his friends flaunt their business cards to each other, he gets jealous of coworker Paul Allen’s (Jarod Leto) card, he murders a homeless man and his dog out of rage. Bateman went to a Christmas party and was mistaken by Allen for another
Throughout the poem the speaker mentions things that relate to consumerism in America. An example in the poem that speaks about consumerism comes from lines 1-4
In Ken Kesey’s book, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, there were two main characters that were in a battle to have the majority of control over the ward. Throughout the story, they engaged in different acts of stubbornness to see who could display the most power and which of the two could stand their ground the longest without giving in to the other. These two characters were: Randle McMurphy, a new patient who was determined to change the ways of the ward, and Nurse Ratched, the head nurse of the asylum who preferred to have complete control over everyone and everything.
Conspicuous consumption is a Marxist concept in which a consumer displays their wealth through items. This concept is displayed during the introduction of Percy Boyd Staunton “His parents were rich, his clothes were fine,and his mittens were of skin…”(Fifth Business 3). This description classes Percy’s family among the elite of society in comparison to Dunstan’s. Percy’s father a dentist, landowner and farmer was the capitalist of Deptford with a very limited economic vision. This upbringing created an adventure capitalist in which similar characteristics can be seen within Percy that can be seen as an addiction that will slowly warp Percy’s fate .
Throughout Slaughterhouse-Five, Vonnegut chooses to use special literary techniques that better explain his own encounters in war as well as help his readers bare the horridness of war. Vonnegut adds black humor in his text to benefit readers as well as “an author-as-character” perspective to set barriers and help protect his own memories in the war. Without adding these two specific devices, Vonnegut could possibly have lost reader’s interests in the book or lost his own interest in writing the book.
Works of literature innately embody the author’s ideology and the historical context of the given time period. Within the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, the author furthers his ideals against the issue of oppression as he attempts to take stabs against its deteriorating effects and support those who rebel. Set in the microcosm of a small mental hospital, he establishes man’s external struggle to overcome tyranny. At the head of the head of the ward is the corrupted character of Nurse Ratched, who rules with an iron fist and the help of her machine like aides. It also features the nonconformist character, McMurphy, as he works to break Nurse Ratched’s endless cycle of tyranny. Although the novel shifts between the
The main points of the book are divided up,and go month by month.Each month is a new topic.Judith is challenged against her own word of not buying anything for a new year.The book witnesses Levine’s journey from enthusiastic experiment in January to a still game but weary participant by the fall.As favorite luxuries run out and clothes become shabbier,many of her points are intentionally provacative.For instance,not buying makes her feel vulnerable and having to ask for help.”I know I’m not alone in my ambivalence about consuming”After a few months Levine does not have to ask for help anymore.She is used to not buying anything,but it is still hard.At the beginning of her year without shopping,she is in a panic.This is not necessarily a personal panic.”Still I am moved by a sense of personal responsibility,not to say personal panic ,about this big,bad problem and the rapidity with which its is getting worse”’At the end of the book ,her mood changed from “panic”’to prosperity.Panic,Surplus,Consumer Psychology,New and Improved,In/Voulnatary Simplicity,Scarity,Redistribution of Wealth,Structual Adjustments,Memories of Underdevelpment,Security Fraud,Brand America,The Ownership Society and Prosperity.are the fifteen chapters in “Not Buying It”.Within each chapter, we discover,the different difficult trade-offs and tensions in not consuming.By focusing primarily on the personal choices and consequences of not shopping,Levine may be telling us more about the mind-set of American
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut takes places on two contrasting planets. One is Earth, where war tears apart families and minds, and the other is Tralfamadore, where supernatural alien beings share their extended knowledge of the world. Vonnegut uses the two planets, Earth and Tralfamadore, to show the contrasting ideas of chaos and order, and that human actions have limitations that render them helpless against a meaningless universe.
Ken Kesey portrays McMurphy as a Chris-like figure in many different parts of the book, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. In the book, McMurphy is viewed by some as a Christ-like figure, and for some, he is not. Ken Kesey intended for McMurphy to be a heroic, Christ-like figure because of events that occurred and the battle between McMurphy and the "evil" Nurse Ratched. A few events that occurred that demonstrated McMurphy's heroic, Christ-like figure was the Electro Shock Therapy and the fishing trip.
Many times throughout one of Ken Kesey’s most famous novels, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the book uses animals as symbols to represent the story’s plot. The animals usually relate to individual characters and their current struggles within the story. Animal imagery provides us with great insight to the themes that Kesey is trying to have us explore, and is a very good tool that the reader can use to help better understand and relate to the characters.
One of the best known novels in English-speaking countries, J.D Salinger’s Catcher In The Rye deals with Holden Caulfield’s past trauma which is the triggering factor in his depression, anxiety and alienation. Holden tells an unnamed person what has happened in the three days prior to his mental breakdown. Through Holden’s relatable characteristics and Salinger’s narrative treatment, the book continues to engage audiences across generations.
In the novella The Body, author Stephen King makes an attempt to explain a story about losing innocence, only to be replaced by maturity and the corruption that comes with it. To do so, King revolves a story around a group of four boys who go on a life changing journey to find a dead body they heard about through the grape vine. Little did they know that pursuing this journey would eventually change them for the worse. In its entirety, the crux of the novella was to show how the experience of meeting death hands-on will pivot a person’s life and will either lead them onto a slippery slope or mold them in to a man soon to be. More specifically, King reinforces this theme beautifully by using light imagery during the
Harron’s production of American Psycho being a black comedy is necessary when taking into consideration of the film being accepted into society. Being able to laugh at Christian Bale during his performance as Ellis’ unstable character Patrick Bateman helps the audience overlook the murders taking place and be drawn into Bateman’s humorous character, which is innocently a result of the times.
Humankind is absolutely insane, and everyone is mentally ill. “Why?” is an appropriate question that can and will be asked, well, it’s because the enjoyment and pleasure that people as a whole receive from watching others menace and writhe in pain. It is a perfect reflection as to why the human race craves horror. Not many people oppose the idea of going out to watch a horror movie, from the sheltered protection that comes from the outside of the screen. Casually munching on some butter-dripping popcorn, as the giant on the TV viciously crunches down on a human gushing blood. It is called, as Stephen King puts, “To show that we can, that we are not afraid, that we can ride this roller coaster.” (King 1) King believes that people want to dare the nightmare, as a peculiar sort of fun. The arguments that Stephen King provides have aspects that are both agreeable and disagreeable. In one hand, he claims that watching horror movies is a more of a psychological thing having to deal with the “Human Condition” to show that we can and will because our emotions need to be tested to “re-establish our feelings of essential normality” (King 1) which is agreeable; nonetheless, claiming that everyone needs horror is putting people together as a whole which some people will oppose because they have no interest in the thought of horror.