Bret Easton Ellis is one of the great American writers of our time. Some of his famous works include his debut novel, Less Than Zero (1985), and his opus, American Psycho (1991), which are household names for any literary or cinematic buff. Although the man behind the mask may not be identifiable by all, almost everybody knows the name Patrick Bateman, and recognizes the famous role played by actor Christian Bale. Although Ellis’ literary prose might lead you to believe he was a dedicated scholar, his extracurricular activities would definitely prove you wrong. He was actually known for partying, sex, and drugs, the hamartia of almost every human. That exact humanness shows itself in his style, which is harsh, honest, and borderline sordid. …show more content…
He was born to his father, Robert Ellis, a property developer who was not wanting for wealth, and his mother, Dale Ellis, a homemaker. He grew up in sunny Los Angeles, California, in an idyllic neighborhood called Sherman Oaks. So what would inspire such a child to write the book American Psycho, which centers around themes of human brutality and misogynistic behavior? There are mixed answers to these questions, which are often posed in interviews with Ellis himself. On many different occasions, he has provided several answers. The first time he was asked, he told listeners that his famous character Patrick Bateman was actually based off of his father, who he said was abusive during his childhood. When further asked about this skeleton in his closet, he retracted his original answer and instead stated that the character was actually based off of himself. That in and of itself is a little startling, that such a merciless and violent character was confessed to be a reflection of a darker part of himself. Today, we can’t be sure who really inspired his most famous character, but, if he is to be believed, we might have a real American Psycho on our …show more content…
It was at the young age of twenty-one that he wrote his first book, called Less Than Zero, which centers around a main character who returns home one day to discover his girlfriend addicted to cocaine. The novel explains in detail the effect of drugs on individuals, and the darker parts of life. Less Than Zero was Ellis’ debut novel, and it quickly rocketed him to fame. The success of his first book provided him with enough momentum to release his second novel, American Psycho. Although this would become known as his most famous work, at the time it made him a leper to the literary population. The level of violence and brutality caused people to condemn his work, and it wasn’t really until the movie adaptation that it gained acclaim. After that his career skyrocketed. In addition to drafting more novels, he wrote screenplays for movies such as The Informers and The Canyons, directed films like The Deleted, All That Glitters, and Orpheus, and was an actor and producer. There was nothing regarding the literary arts that he could not
If you choose, you can compare or contrast the U.S. Constitution with the Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace (the Iroquois Constitution).
“Each life makes its own imitation of immortality.” is exactly what Stephen King, one of top selling writers in history said when quoting on his own life. As one of the most renowned and famous authors of modern history, Stephen King has published a countless and immense number of bestsellers and worldwide hits. The King of Terror Stephen Edwin King is one of today's most popular and best-selling writers. His countless number of books have circled around the homes of millions of readers who are so intrigued by some of his most famous works. His works continue to embody the minds and fears of its reader while increasingly becoming ever more popular. Stephen King is not only a figure of present history but also a household
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
In the Movie, American Psycho, Patrick Bateman demonstrate challenges to identify his unique type of personality theories. The purpose of this essay is to review a selected film as a Psychology student, and discuss it from a psychological perspective. Also in this paper providing a diagnosis for a character in the movie and discuss the behaviors that support the selected diagnosis, and to explain and discuss the mental illness depicted in the film.
Passions drive people, and the townspeople in “The Lottery” and Paul in “The Rocking-Horse Winner” are no different. Each of the members of the unnamed town has a strong passion for tradition. The original black box used for the lottery is described as being, “lost long ago, and the black box now resting on the stool had been put into use even before Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, was born” (Jackson 251). This sentence gives the reader an understanding that the lottery is an ancient tradition that has become an integral part of the town’s lifestyle. Such a tradition can only be carried on for this length of time if the people are passionate about preserving the tradition. Paul had a passion to be wealthy as a way to prove to his mother that he was lucky. From a young age, he saw that his family always wanted more money to support a better lifestyle, yet
Fifty years ago, a person breaking the law would either be called crazy or a criminal. Today, the mental health community has much more specific diagnoses. However, the explanation of certain behaviors may be difficult because there is much overlap among mental conditions. In Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho, the protagonist, Patrick Bateman, is apparently simply a psychopath. However, Bateman can be diagnosed with other mental illnesses such as Asperger’s syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, narcissism, and antisocial personality disorder. In both the book and film adaptation, Bateman’s actions can be understood more accurately when analyzed in light of modern psychology.
The book Night opens in the town of Signet where Elie Wiesel, the author ,
The Catcher in the Rye and Dead Poets Society are very similar stories. Both deal with the coming of age in the lives of prestigious young men. These two stories also deal with the conformity of these young men in their transition from private boys school to the real world. There are two young men from each of the stories whose lives are alike yet different in some ways.
American Psycho can be interpreted in two ways: either Bateman, due to his mental disorder, killed multiple people, or he was having hallucinations about his kills. If he truly committed murder the DSM-5 diagnosis for Patrick Bateman indicates that he is suffering from antisocial personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, and borderline
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Mary Shelley is an author who wrote the novel of Frankenstein. Mary Shelley herself in her life, experienced many deaths of close friends and family. When she was first born her mother died, furthermore Mary had a baby, who died 12 days later and her husband Percy Shelly drowned. Maybe it was these experiences, which led Mary Shelley to write such a novel of great horror published in 1818. Frankenstein itself is called 'the modern Prometheus'.
Through critical analysis, historical research, and textual evidence, a study on Kurt Vonnegut’s background will be conducted in order to display the effects that the era in which he lived had on his writing.
In “The Story of an Hour” (1894), Kate Chopin presents a woman in the last hour of her life and the emotional and psychological changes that occur upon hearing of her husbands’ death. Chopin sends the protagonist, Mrs. Mallard, on a roller coaster of emotional up’s and down’s, and self-actualizing psychological hairpin turns, which is all set in motion by the news of her husband’s death. This extreme “joy ride” comes to an abrupt and ultimately final halt for Mrs. Mallard when she sees her husband walk through the door unscathed. Chopin ends her short story ambiguously with the death of Mrs. Mallard, imploring her reader to determine the true cause of her death.
The turbulent societal changes of the mid-20th Century have been documented in countless forms of literature, film and art. On the Road by Jack Kerouac was written and published at the outset of the counter-culture movement of the 1950s and 1960s. This novel provides a first-hand account of the beginnings of the Beat movement and acts as a harbinger for the major societal changes that would occur in the United States throughout the next two decades. On the contrary, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, a Hunter S. Thompson novel written in 1971 provides a commentary on American society at the end of the counter-culture movement. Thompson reflects on the whirlwind of political and social activism he experienced and how American society had
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.
Throughout the film Dead Poets Society, we see the development of Todd Anderson’s self confidence and character with the help and guidance from Mr Keating and Neil Perry. Todd starts as a quiet student, unable to convey his emotions and thoughts.