Gilgamesh v. American Psycho, the Similarities and Differences
Katie Lindsay
At first glance, Gilgamesh and American Psycho seem as though they would have nothing in common, and although they have obvious differences, they also have more in common than you might think. Gilgamesh, one of the earliest forms of text, it is a tale that follows the life of Gilgamesh and his trials and tribulations in being the king of the ancient city, Uruk. American Psycho, a movie and novel that shows the psychological decline of Patrick Bateman, a businessman living in NYC, that leads to murder, and a lot of questions. Gilgamesh and Patrick Bateman are similar in their personal behavior and certain ideals while they differ in their relationships with the people around them.
Gilgamesh shows a pattern of egotistical behavior, and the need or want to be the “best” in anything and everything he does. Patrick Bateman has an incessant need to be “better” than everyone surrounding him. Humbaba was the greatest monster known, everyone was terrified of it. There is a grand description of how horrifying this monster is. So for no known reason, Gilgamesh gets it set in his head that he needs to kill it. It became apparent that there was no reason to go on this expedition, other than his own pride. “‘I will cut down the tree, I will kill Humbaba./ I will make a lasting name for myself,/ I will stamp my fame on men's minds forever.’” (Pg. 94) This quote is Gilgamesh, briefly speaking on his “reasons” for going on this outrageous journey to kill Humbaba, before being thought of as an unkillable monster. In American Psycho, there is one scene where Patrick has gotten a new business card and shows it to his colleagues. When another colleague comes in and shows his new business card, which Patrick believes is better than his. He visibly is freaking out, and then later on, he killed this man, just because he harmed his ego. In both of these previously described instances, these characters did things purely because they were so prideful and egotistical, that they felt a compulsion to commit these acts. Having a narcissistic and egotistical personality can present itself in different ways, two of them being previously mentioned.
In both of these texts, there was a strong emphasis on one particular idea, materialism. Gilgamesh is the so-called greatest king, so of course he would be wealthy and have access to certain extravagances that not everyone did. But, Gilgamesh could frequently be seen flaunting it. For him, because of the timeframe, the things he would flaunt would be certain foods, jewels and gems, and his weaponry among other things. “‘I have piled the table high with exquisite food for the ceremony,’” (Pg. 87) Here Gilgamesh, is speaking on the food that he was able to acquire because of his own personal wealth. Patrick Bateman was a wealthy businessman, it would be expected that he would dress nicely and/or go to “fancy” places. But, the amount of time, money, and energy that Bateman spent on his persona, is shocking to say the least. He always made sure he was wearing a new and expensive suit, and that his watch is new and from a respected brand. He put so much value in these things, and weighed his own and others' worth based on what they owned. While Gilgamesh may not have judged others as harshly as Bateman based on what they had, he definitely valued his own possessions at, somewhat, an alarming rate. Although the similarities between Bateman and Gilgamesh are striking, they are not exactly the same.
A common aspect in most texts is an enviable friendship, a companionship that everyone wants. Gilgamesh and American Psycho provide you with that, and the complete opposite. Enkidu was made by the gods to balance Gilgamesh, to rule Uruk alongside him, and to complete each other. It even went so far that Gilgameshs’ mother, Ninsun, adopted Enkidu as her own son, effectively making them brothers. “‘Dear child,’ she [Ninsun] said, ‘you were not born from my womb, but I adopt you as my son,’ She hung a jeweled amulet around Enkidu's neck.” This excerpt depicts a small portion of the scene that is Ninsun adopting Enkidu to solidify him and Gilgamesh as family. A recurring theme in American Psycho is isolation, Bateman is constantly alone. Even if he is surrounded with people, there is no one he has a meaningful connection with, no one who understands him, and vice versa. He is consistently feeling isolated, and although he tries to pretend it doesn’t affect him and how he behaves, it’s clear to the viewer that his descent into madness wouldn’t have been as harsh as it was if there was a strong companion around. Enkidu and Gilgamesh balance each other out, they are each other's platonic soulmates, the yin to one another's yang, and as cliche as it sounds, they complete the other. Patrick Bateman had no one, no deep relationship with anyone, and besides the fact that he was most likely incapable of a real, meaningful friendship, it most definitely deeply destroyed him.
American Psycho and Gilgamesh are honestly the farthest thing from the same, but even though they are completely different, in a multitude of ways, you can find similarities. Whether those similarities are in a certain behavior that both Patrick Bateman and Gilgamesh portray, in a certain ideology or value that is emphasized throughout the plot, or in the people and relationships surrounding them. Because of how different the idea of American Psycho and Gilgamesh are it doesn’t seem as if Gilgamesh directly influenced American Psycho, but just because of how old Gilgamesh is, it is completely and utterly possible that it indirectly influenced it.
