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Literary Devices
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
April Fools
Explanation and Analysis—Rich Man:
In the first chapter, "April Fools," Patrick and Price head to Evelyn's apartment; walking down the street, he whistles a musical-theater standard that seems wildly out of character:
It’s cold for April and Price walks briskly down the street toward Evelyn’s brownstone, whistling “If I Were a Rich Man,” the heat from his mouth creating smoky plumes of steam, and swinging his Tumi leather attaché case.
Price whistles "If I Were a Rich Man," a song from the 1964 Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof. Reb Tevye, a Jewish milkman in imperial Russia and the show's protagonist, sings in the song about what he would do if he were not poor and persecuted for his religion. Tevye's ambitions are, in fact, rather modest; he imagines a house with "a fine tin roof with real wooden floors below" to improve upon his current dilapidated home.
The irony here is, of course, that Price is a rich man. As he whistles, Price blows "smoky plumes of steam" from his mouth—he is literally blowing hot air, gleefully singing about a poverty that he never has to experience. Patrick confirms Price's wealth as he usually does, by referencing one of his expensive possessions: a "Tumi leather attaché case." This ironic allusion points to a tension at play throughout the book: despite the exorbitant wealth of Patrick and all his friends, they all still strive for more and more wealth and feel inferior to the rich men around them.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—The City of Woe:
American Psycho begins with Patrick Bateman in a cab with his sometime-friend Timothy Price. In the cab, Patrick notices some rather terrifying graffiti, which is an allusion to Dante's Inferno:
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 [...]
"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here," the English translation of "Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate," is the inscription over the gates of Hell described in Canto III of the Inferno, the Italian epic poem written by Dante in the 14th century. The English phrase has been, for centuries, a common allusion to describe a dire situation. Here, the phrase becomes a warning to the reader at the very beginning of the novel. The phrase, rendered in all capitals, seems to tell the reader that the upcoming novel, as well as Patrick's life, is an enclosed world of terror and punishment. This combination of simple narrative (Patrick sees the graffiti and mentions it to the reader) with meta-narrative elements (the graffiti warns the reader about the book itself) is exemplary of Ellis's postmodern style in the book.
Related Themes:
A Glimpse of a Thursday Afternoon
Explanation and Analysis—It's Like a Dream:
In the chapter "Thursday Afternoon," Patrick walks along a busy sidewalk in a drug-induced panic. Among a cacophony of sounds and sensations he hears a song by the pop idol Madonna that especially strikes him:
[...] while moving up Broadway, ignoring the old ladies passing out fliers, past jeans stores, music blasting from inside, pouring out onto the streets, people’s movements matching the beat of the song, a Madonna single, Madonna crying out, “life is a mystery, everyone must stand alone …,” bike messengers whiz by and I’m standing on a corner scowling at them, but people pass, oblivious, no one pays attention, they don’t even pretend to not pay attention [...]
Patrick overhears Madonna's number-one hit "Like a Prayer," released as the title track from her fourth studio album. (The song was first released in March 1989, while the novel ends with the inauguration of George Bush in January 1989, making its inclusion slightly anachronistic.) The lyric Patrick hears, "life is a mystery, everyone must stand alone," might succinctly summarize how he feels about his life at this point in the novel. Increasingly isolated by his own delusions and erratic behavior, Patrick starts to lose his grip on reality, unable to determine what is real or imagined around him. He describes this feeling immediately after hearing the lyric, "scowling" at all the "oblivious" people around him. He, indeed, feels like life is a mystery, and that he is forced to stand alone.
Patrick does not know that "Like a Prayer" is actually a love song about how a relationship can give a person meaning in their life; after the lyric above, Madonna sings, "I hear you call my name, and it feels like home." The contrast between the song's original meaning and Patrick's feelings only heightens the overwhelming feeling of Patrick's panicked walk.
Related Themes:
