Analyses: In-Between Period
Written June 20, 2025
This page that will be less "refined" than other pages. Here I'm following the idea of digital gardening and asking more questions instead of having more answers...
I'm planning to reread Glamorama and on rereads it's always helpful to know what you'll be looking for. This time I'll be:
- trying to make a good summary of the story
- solidifying color associations
- having fun with anything doing with time
Speaking of time (segue moment), in the first page I wrote about how time is used in American Psycho. I forgot to mention how Patrick's awful perception of time, particularly in the Bethany exchange example, is also a means for him to feel in control. I feel like this is a pretty well-known aspect of his character. Early on in the story, he writes:
I come to the conclusion that Patricia is safe tonight, that I am not going to unexpectedly pull a knife out and use it on her just for the sake of doing so, that I am not going to get any pleasure watching her bleed... She’s lucky, even though there is no real reasoning behind the luck. It could be that she’s safe because her wealth, her family’s wealth, protects her tonight, or it could be that it’s simply my choice.
On the other hand, Victor from Glamorama actually has a good perception of time, or at least one that's more grounded in reality. Compared to Patrick (and the rest of BEE's characters), it's a little shocking how centered his sense of time is.
“Hey, don’t bungle my jungle, you little mo.” I consider this. “A cause, hmm? Because we can”—I mindlessly light another cigarette—“make more money?””
“And let people have some fun,” JD reminds me, scratching at a tattoo of a little muscle man on his bicep.
“Yeah, and let people have some fun.” I take a drag. “I’m considering this, you know, even though the opening is in, oh, less than twenty-four hours.”
Time seems to be a pervasive theme in Glamorama (but I admit that I could just be noticing it more because it's one of my favorite aspects in stories) and this idea is strengthened by how the chapters are divided: by a countdown to... something. Time is also one of the things taken away from him.
“Well, what about a drink? It’s not that late.” I check the nonexistent watch again. “I’ve gotta stop doing that.”
For Victor, time is also a matter of control. Not an intense, near-violent need for it like Patrick, but a laxer version of it that comes from being your own person and making your own choices. But even when he has an accurate grasp on time, it's apparent that it's not his own. His schedule is already being dictated by others.
“Oh never mind.” Alison drops the robe and puts on some panties. “Three o’clock tomorrow?”
“I’m swamped tomorrow, baby, so spare me,” I stammer. “Now, who told you I’m looking at a new space?”
“Okay—three o’clock on Monday.”
This is one of the things that bothers me about Glamorama. We never see Victor in a "normal" state, like we get with Patrick at the start of American Psycho. Even the flashbacks to his past are marked by a sense of anxiety. Sure, the whole point is that this is his normal, or you could see how he is in The Rules of Attraction and consider that the normalest we will ever see him. It's just interesting to me, is all, that this is something we never got from him. this is also a joke made in the book, lol
Finally, one of the last things I'd like to say is that, as a whole, Glamorama seems to be about finding your own answers. A lot of BEE is about the grief that comes from communication. For Victor, this comes in the form of doubting his own thoughts. Because of this, how the story ends is really beautiful to me.
Hopefully this reread (which won't be for a few months so don't hold your breath) will give me the answers I'm looking for and even more questions 