Lit Analysis - Society and the Individual in American Psycho and Maeve Fly

More Emo than a 15 Year Old High Schooler in 2005:

Society and the Individual in American Psycho and Maeve Fly 

A Comparison by LemondropBooktalks

What is your purpose? This is a question we wrestle with constantly. What are we made to do? What is our reason for being here? A common struggle all individuals go through is finding purpose. Psychologist Erik Erikson added identity vs role confusion to his stages of development, a psychological tool we still use today, because we are so focused on finding out who we are and what meaning we have. In America, a country built on freedom and independence, there is encouragement to find your value in society amongst your own joys and passions. New changes in how we live have come to alter these focuses, though. Our society, with rapid technological advancements and a rampant capitalist mindset, often puts production and profit over people. This apparent worship for materialistic things has paired with our obsession with finding our worth to create a toxic social environment. We have come to prioritize appearances, wealth, and success over connection, happiness, and joy. The novels American Psycho and Maeve Fly wrestle with this idea, bringing forth engaging social commentary on humanity in an extreme way.

Social Commentary

Wealth

While there are many comments on society in both these books, three stand out to me. The first is money. Wealth and abusing it to fulfill us is a common theme in both books. In Maeve Fly money is referenced as making dreams come true. Early on in the book Maeve makes a comment about the Disney theme park she works in, stating that it creates “a happy childhood [. . .] for the low cost of one hundred dollars a person per day” (Leede 44). This theme park is built to bring joy and happy experiences to its guests, but there is a huge financial cost to do so. In a way, Maeve seems to be stating that this amusement park is a place where you can buy your happiness. It is not only this idea of buying your happiness that is disturbing but the fact that the park is full of actors. Maeve is an employee there and talks about the reality of working there. She speaks about putting on a smile or a good face so people can enjoy their time. Not only are people buying happiness, but they are also buying a fake and manufactured one. This novel also touches on the idea of chasing success and wealth. Being in Hollywood, Maeve constantly notices the people trying to become famous on TV and in films. While she does not have that drive, many people around her do. Maeve’s best friend Kate is one of these people, “chasing a dream” and doing what “she feels she has to do to succeed,” which often includes sleeping with the men in charge (Leede 67). People in the entertainment industry, as Maeve points out in the novel, will do anything to get a role in a major movie or show. They do this because they dream of a rich and successful life as an actor. They do this to obtain an image they can show off to the entire world. They forget themselves, act as different people and characters, in order to achieve their success in society. 

American Psycho is less about acting and putting on a certain personna for success and more about money equaling success. Many times Bateman will discuss the price of a tab at a restaurant, the exclusiveness and extreme cost of his gym membership, and the amount he paid for new, designer clothes. Not only is wealth and status part of every aspect of Bateman’s life, there is also a scene where he insults, stabs, and kills a homeless man. He tells him to just “‘Get a goddamn job,’” and asks the man if he “‘[thinks] its fair to take money from people who do have jobs? Who do work?’” (Ellis 130). Bateman is not asking how he or society can help homelessness nor is he seeing the homeless man with empathy. Instead, he is looking at him like he is the problem. Bateman reacts so violently to the homeless man, claiming he has nothing in common with him and that he is a “‘fucking loser’” (Ellis 131). Bateman does not see this man as a person, as someone worthy of help and kindness. In hatred and disgust, Bateman kills the man and “[throws] a quarter in his face” when he is done, insulting him even in death (Ellis 131). This scene tells readers that Bateman is disgusted by the homeless man and blames him for his own problems. To Bateman, wealth shows your worth in society. To take this representation even farther, Bateman is often described as being a good man or the ideal human example. The book goes out of its way to make sure that readers see Bateman as any other person in society. He is rich and successful, sure, but not unlike any other man in his mid 20s in New York. Having Bateman treat a homeless man this way is almost like saying society as a whole treats people this way. It is as if this scene is saying any person could look at those without money or status and see them as worthless and a problem.

In both books, money is seen as having power and status. This status is equated with value. There is value in being able to buy happiness. There is power in being a rich star in a movie. You have worth if you work and make money. Your life is valuable when you are rich. The way these characters treat money and careers displays the American mindset: money means success.

Being Valued

The next comment these novels make on society is how we have lost the ability to see people as individuals that matter. This occurs many times in both novels. First, it happens at a large group level where people are compared to being the same. The novel Maeve Fly contains many themes on humanity and human connection being worthless. Maeve comments on how irrelevant humans are in the grand scheme of things, stating that humans are “fixed and fleeting” (Leede 13). We have no real, lasting impact on this world. Bateman makes a remark in American Psycho, saying “‘I think a lot of snowflakes are alike . . . and I think a lot of people are alike too’” (Ellis 378). Maeve feels similarly, making a comment that whether “Over- or undereducated millennials,” those working at her job are “all a dime a dozen” (Leede 10). Both characters are commenting on how no one is truly unique. We are all the same people living the same lives. American Psycho really pushes this idea by constantly having characters mixed up and mistaken for other characters (Ellis 36, 49, 50, 55). Names are constantly forgotten or people mistake an acquaintance for someone else. American Psycho pushes this idea home by having Bateman say good night to a doorman he doesn’t recognize, commenting that “(he could be anybody)” (Ellis 23). 

Second, these novels point out the loss of individual value with their own personal experiences. Bateman constantly struggles with being seen and heard. When he confesses his homicidal actions to someone, they repeatedly ignore him or mishear him. On one occasion they disregard his confession to point out a celebrity they see on the streets, showing a clear obsession with wealth and success over conversation and connectivity with a friend (Ellis 121). Bateman feels ignored the entire novel, eventually asking “‘does anyone really see anyone? Does anyone really see anyone else?’” (Ellis 238). Bateman is not the only one being ignored, though. When commenting on how he did not know a friend smoked, the friend replied “‘You never noticed’” (Ellis 361). Even though Bateman feels like he goes unseen, he does the same thing to others. 

While people seemingly lack value and feel completely alone, there is still a constant obsession with fitting in and being seen as relevant or important. In American Psycho, for all his moaning, Bateman still demands clearly “‘I . . . want . . . to . . . fit . . . in’” (Ellis 237). We want to be rich, successful, and liked. This likely stems from the discussion both these novels have on obsession with money and success. There is the idea that people have become acquainted with this way of life, allowing it to dictate our thoughts and actions. In Maeve Fly it is written that “its easy to lose oneself to it. To become more an extension of the city than a singular mind and self” (Leede 84). People are not individuals anymore. These novels are arguing that we have lost what it means to truly know ourselves and others in a world obsessed with money and power.

Selfishness

The third and final point I wish to discuss from these novels covers the idea of selfishness. Both these novels go beyond regular selfishness to the point of being so self absorbed that we do not recognize others’ existence. In the novel Maeve Fly, Maeve calls Hollywood “the epitome of the individual. Land of the fucking selfish” (Leede 69). Here, everyone seems to be only concerned about themselves, how to get what they want, and their success. Maeve even comments on how “the trying, the striving” of people struggling to create meaning and purpose for themselves “poisoned the air” (Leede 15). The novel goes even farther to say that our personal image and how people see us is the most important aspect of our lives. This is expressed when Maeve kills Susan Parker’s image. Maeve does not harm Susan Parker in any physical way but instead ruins her image on social media (Leede 19-23). When Maeve exposes Susan’s comments about diversity on Reddit, she knows that Susan “will be annihilated,” that her life will be “irrevocably ruined,” and she will “lose everyone and everything she loves” (Leede 23). For Maeve, killing is not about ending the life of the person physically but instead ending their life socially. It is about destroying their status and power. This comments on how self-absorbed we are, to the point where we value our image more than our actual lives. 

In American Psycho the themes of being self-absorbed are much more blatant. Bateman comments on how “Price will not shut up” about himself and what he thinks (Ellis 5). Price talks to hear himself talk, not listening to those around him. He is not the only one. Many times, the characters in this novel are talking about themselves and their own self-interests, hardly noticing Bateman or the world around them. Bateman is just as self-absorbed, writing that he would notice his reflection in a mirror and “[smile] at how good [he looks]” (Ellis 11). When Bateman goes for a massage, he says to himself “I want Helga to check my body out, notice my chest, see how fucking buff my abdominals have gotten” (Ellis 114). Bateman is like everyone else - obsessed with himself and how he looks. 

These three topics play into each other perfectly in an endless cycle. The more we allow money and status to give us value, the less we see people as having worth. As we start to equate value with a certain image and price tag, the more focused we become on our own image. As we become more self absorbed, the less we see people as important. The less we see people, the more unaware we become. While part of this is Maeve and Bateman being unique in the fact that they are serial killers with psychopathic tendencies who lack empathy, their characters are vessels for social commentary. They are crazy, unhinged, and careless about human life because our society has become this way. Bateman and Maeve live lives like any other person: they work, have relationships, go out to restaurants and bars, and partake in society. They might kill people, but much of who they are reflects our own actions. In a way, we are harming people as much as they are. They represent an extreme version of how careless we can become with human life - others and our own.

The Individual

In addition to commenting on the social decline of humanity, these novels both use their narrators to show the true isolation individuals feel. Our social decline has created a deep sense of loneliness. Both Maeve and Bateman, although desperately trying to maintain connections or fit in, feel completely alone. Maeve talks about “the wrenching loneliness [she] had felt for the whole of [her] life,” mainly because she felt that she was “utterly and completely different” (Leede 15). She feels so different that it makes it impossible for her to connect with others. When her only two relationships start to fail, Mave says to herself “I might as well not be here” (Leede 120). Bateman also feels completely alone. He thinks to himself “that if I were to disappear into that crack [. . .] the odds are good that no one would notice I was gone. No . . . one . . . would . . . care” (Ellis 226). He even goes a step farther to think “In fact some, if they noticed my absence, might feel an odd, indefinable sense of relief,” coming to the conclusion that “the world is better off with some people gone” (Ellis 226).

Both these characters feel alone and unknown in ways that isolate them from others. Later in the novel, Maeve comes to the realization that “When you have people around you, lots of people even, but they just can’t see who or what you are [. . .] It’s torturous, really. Kind of makes you question what the point is” (Leede 209). Bateman feels similarly, asking his girlfriend “‘I mean, does anyone really see anyone? Does anyone really see anyone else? Did you ever see me?’” (Ellis 238). These characters feel like no one has ever seen them for who they are. Even in a crowded room, even among friends and romantic partners, they feel separate and disconnected.  

Maeve Fly ends with a very powerful line that homes in on this theme. The novel ends with the words “Every man shares the same fantasy and it is this: / I See You” (Leede 271). The fantasy is to be seen, known, and accepted by others. The fantasy is to fit in, to feel a sense of belonging. The novel argues, though, that it is only a fantasy, something we all hope for but will never find. In a society that values wealth and status, that constantly supports selfishness and isolation, there will never be a moment where anyone truly sees you. Bateman’s story ends similarly. No one believes he killed anyone. No one knows how he truly feels inside. Being known for his crimes, being seen for what he really is, is only a fantasy to Bateman. He tried to live it out, tried to show people the real him, but the book ends with the idea that it was either all in his head and no one knows or that people continued to ignore his true self. Either way, being seen is only a fantasy.

Conclusion: Society and the Individual

These novels both present criticisms of society, pointing out how our need for material things removes our ability to value people as people. We have become selfish, caring about an image more than living a full and meaningful life. This has created a deep sense of isolation. We live in a world where our dreams are no longer about being successful or finding a purpose that fulfills us. Instead, our dreams are to be known as we are. The novels end with the tragic narrative that this is a fantasy and even if we try the most extreme methods such as destruction and murder, we will never be fully seen by others.

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Works Cited

Ellis, Bret Easton. American Psycho. Penguin Random House, 1991. 

Leede, C. J. Maeve Fly. 1st ed., Tor Publishing Group, 2023.