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Detective
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in American Psycho, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Materialism and Consumption
Identity and Isolation
Monotony and Desensitization
Vice and Violence
The Truth
Summary
Analysis
Bateman nonchalantly recaps the events of the summer: a number of airplane disasters, the Mets doing poorly, a new deodorant, and the need to go to the Hamptons. He tells Evelyn of his need, and the two head out of the city to spend time at Price’s Hamptons home. The home, which Bateman describes in intricate detail, is gorgeous and filled with expensive and luxurious furniture. Bateman tells the reader that he “really tried to make things work” with Evelyn while he was in the Hamptons.
After a chaotic and unsettling few months, Bateman’s desire to go to the Hamptons (with Evelyn, no less) is a desire for him to return to his more monotonous life of luxury.
Themes
At first, they would ride bikes together, take baths together, and read novels together, but eventually things grew strained: Evelyn wouldn’t eat, and Bateman started microwaving and eating jellyfish. Bateman would lie around, drinking and fantasizing about killing people, while Evelyn would helicopter into the city a few times a week just to get facials. Everything felt boring and dull to Bateman; even killing their dog provided no satisfaction. One day, he announced to Evelyn that he thought they should leave. She agreed and the two quickly hopped on a helicopter back to New York City.
It seems at first as if things will go just fine, but Bateman is unable to keep up this schedule of normalcy and begins to have urges towards violent and sadistic behavior once again. What looks like it could have been an opportunity for a connection between Bateman and Evelyn is squashed when they both get bored of one another and turn to other outlets: violence and facials, respectively.
Themes
