American Psycho

American Psycho

by

Bret Easton Ellis

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American Psycho: In Bed with Courtney Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
It’s approaching the holiday season, and Bateman is lying in bed with CourtneyLuis is out of town. He thinks about the early Christmas shopping he’s been doing and the episode of “The Patty Winters Show” he watched earlier (it was about “Beautiful Teenage Lesbians,” and he missed work to stay home and masturbate to it). Courtney asks what Bateman’s plans for Thanksgiving are and if she’ll get a chance to see him before. She tells him she’ll be spending the holiday with Luis, complaining about him in a loving way. Bateman sees where this is going; “You’re going to marry Luis,” he says. Courtney doesn’t directly reply, but this is clearly the truth. She tells Bateman that if she doesn’t see him before Thanksgiving, to “Have a nice one.”
Once again, even while Bateman is in bed with a beautiful woman, he is fantasizing about others. This scene, essentially Bateman’s breakup with Courtney, stands in stark contrast to his breakup with Evelyn. He knows the decision she’s made before she even says it and they end things detachedly but kindly, and Bateman is left as alone as ever. This is also the first time in a long time that Bateman hasn’t recoiled or lashed out upon being faced with the name or even thought of Luis Carruthers.
Themes
Identity and Isolation Theme Icon
Vice and Violence Theme Icon