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Symbols
The novel both begins and ends with quotes from famous works of literature involving the Devil and Hell. The red graffiti described in the opening line of the novel (“Abandon all hope ye who enter here”) is a quote from Dante’s Inferno, the first part of his epic poem, in which the poet Virgil guides Dante through Hell, and the text on the sign Bateman sees at the end of the novel, and the novel’s final words, (“This is not an exit”) is an allusion to Jean Paul Sartre’s existentialist play No Exit, which depicts deceased people locked in a room together for eternity. Furthermore, not only can Bateman’s actions be seen as satanic, but the devil himself appears in the form of Bono during a hallucination Bateman has while at a U2 concert. By including this imagery, Ellis is drawing a comparison between Bateman’s world and hell, thus critiquing the dark underbelly of the shiny, elite Wall Street world.
The Devil and Hell Quotes in American Psycho
The American Psycho quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Devil and Hell. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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April Fools Quotes
ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER HERE is scrawled in blood red lettering on the side of the Chemical Bank near the corner of Eleventh and First and is in print large enough to be seen from the backseat of the cab as it lurches forward in the traffic leaving Wall Street and just as Timothy Price notices the words a bus pulls up, the advertisement for Les Misérables on its side blocking his view…
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This passage, which opens the novel, begins with a quote from Dante’s Inferno, an epic poem detailing the author’s journey through the circles of hell. This is the first instance of devil and hell imagery which appears throughout the novel, and serves to establish the dark, painful, and sadistic tone of the novel and its narrator, as well as connecting that notion directly to the Wall Street world in which Bateman lives – this is done by depicting these words directly on the walls of a bank. The graffiti scrawl and color of the words additionally evokes the image of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque
Concert Quotes
It hits me that we have something in common, that we share a bond… the audience disappears and the music slows down… everything getting clearer, my body alive and burning, on fire, and from nowhere a flash of white and blinding light envelopes me and I hear it, can actually feel, can even make out the letters of the message hovering above Bono’s head in orange wavy letters: “I … am … the … devil … and I am … just … like … you …”
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This is one of Bateman’s largest and most clearly spelled-out hallucinations in the novel. While at a U2 concert with a group of friends – a concert none of them are very interested in being at, though they, of course, have the most expensive front-row seats – he hallucinates a moment with lead singer Bono in which Bono reveals himself to be the devil. Not only is this another appearance of devil and hell imagery, a symbol which highlights both Bateman’s sadistic tendencies and his entrapment in his own private, isolated world of suffering, but it also reveals that Bateman Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero
Chase, Manhattan Quotes
…and the sun, a planet on fire, gradually rises over Manhattan, another sunrise, and soon the night turns into day so fast it’s like some kind of optical illusion…
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At the end of the novel’s climactic scene – Bateman running and driving hijacked cars through the streets of Manhattan, shooting police officers and exploding police cars, huddling in his office surrounded by SWAT team and helicopters – he describes the rising sun as a fiery hellscape, an image of his own purgatory where he must continue his sadistic actions for eternity. As he describes this sunrise, Bateman reveals his own knowledge that his understanding of time is nearly hallucinatory. Describing the change of day as an “optical illusion,” he not only states explicitly that the timeline of events he Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim ne
At Harry’s Quotes
“Well, though I know I should have done that instead of not doing it, I’m twenty-seven for Christ sakes and this is, uh, how life presents itself in a bar or in a club in New York, maybe anywhere, at the end of the century and how people, you know, me, behave, and this is what being Patrick means to me, I guess, so, well, yup, uh…” and this is followed by a sigh, then a slight shrug and another sigh, and above one of the doors covered by red velvet drapes in Harry’s is a sign and on the sign in letters that match the drapes’ color are the words THIS IS NOT AN EXIT.
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Bateman finds himself out to drinks with his friends, talking about clothing and women and business; it’s as if the events of the entire novel have never happened and we’re right back where we started. Bateman attempts to make an intelligent speech about what it means to be him, at his age, in the age he’s living. But he fumbles. He’s lost his way with words, and is grasping at an explanation for the situation and life and world in which he’s found himself. Trying to make a universal statement, he realizes that he is unlike anyone else around him; Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atqu
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The Devil and Hell Symbol Timeline in American Psycho
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Devil and Hell appears in American Psycho. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
April Fools
The novel begins with a quote from Dante’s Inferno, “ Abandon all hope ye who enter here ”, seen scrawled along the side of a bank in red graffiti letters. Suddenly, a...
(full context)
Office
...While they ride, Bateman notices that the music playing in the elevator sounds like “ Sympathy for the Devil .”
(full context)
Lunch
...starts interjecting to tell Armstrong he’s an “asshole” and that his life “is a living hell,” but Armstrong doesn’t even notice. This continues until the chapter ends abruptly in the middle...
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Concert
...Bateman’s senses, as a message appears, written in space above Bono’s head: “I… am… the… devil… and I am… just… like…you.”
(full context)
...normal, though Bateman still feels that he has received this important, personal message from the devil and finds that he has a pulsing erection. He tries to pick up a conversation...
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Birthday, Brothers
...from his apartment or if he should go purchase more. He’s interrupted by Sean saying, “Damien,” but he’s misheard; Sean is really complementing his tan. Bateman pays the bill and the...
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Smith & Wollensky
...first time the brightly painted walls and listening intently to the sounds of Frank Sinatra’s “Witchcraft” floating through the restaurant.
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At Harry’s
...Just as he’s leaving, Bateman spots a sign hanging on the wall. It reads: “ This is not an exit .”
(full context)
