“In Tyler We Trust"

                                                            

First rule, you do not talk about fight club.

Second rule, you DO NOT talk about fight club.

Third rule, if someone says “stop”, goes limp, taps out the fight is over.

Fourth rule, only two guys to a fight.

Fifth rule, one fight at a time.

Sixth rule, no shirt, no shoes.

Seventh rule, fights will go on as long as they have to.

Eighth rule, if this is your first night at FIGHT CLUB, you HAVE to fight.

            From the first time I saw Fight Club I remembered these simple rules. I had to be about twelve years old at the time and looking back I know I didn’t understand the meaning of the film. To me it was just another badass movie that inspired my friends and I to start own boxing club in our basements during sleepovers. As I grew up so did my love for film, ranging from horrors like Jaws, to epics such as Lord of the Rings, and cult classics like The Big Lebowski, I couldn’t get enough. I loved the stories each movie reveled, in a good movie there is never a dull character each person has their own role in the grand scheme of things. The plot twists and turns and just when you think you have it all figured out, you are blindsided.

            For those of you who have seen Fight Club, directed by David Fincher and based upon Chuck Palahniuk’s story, you know exactly what I mean when I say blindsided. The reason why I chose Fight Club over any other movie in my collection is because Fight Club is my go to movie. The movie that I can watch over and over again with it still never getting old. It is a story that on the surface appears to be purely violence based and savage, but dig a little deeper and you will discover the true meaning behind Fight Club. 

            The book and movie differ in many ways so my focus will be on the movie. Fight Club premiered in 1999, starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt. Edward Norton plays the nameless protagonist, some evidence implies his name is Jack so that is how I will refer to him. Jack is “living” a mind-numbingly, lackluster life as an automobile insurance agent. It appears he has no real friends or family and that he replaces this absence with the acquisition of material things. He defines himself by his belonging, always trying to make himself what he thinks he is suppose to be. In this sense his identity is hollow, this materialistic self is not making him complete; and so he can’t sleep.

            Jack’s insomnia and lack of fulfillment in life are direct products of his social isolation. His doctor tells him that his sleeping problem is not a big deal and to check out a local caner support group to see what real suffering is. This sarcastic instruction leads Jack to the support meetings where he experiences the human connection he has been missing. He realizes that he has longed for a place where he can openly express his feelings, even if they are dark or sad in nature. Still he seeks a truth that his job and day-to-day life after not offering.

            Jack meets Tyler Durden, played by Brad Pitt, on one of his many business flights. From their first conversation together Tyler’s powerful confidence and eccentric fashion make him an unforgettable character. Durden is strongly against common culture, and can be considered a nihilist beveling that their generation’s lives are meaningless. Fight Club presents the case that men of today’s society have been diminished to a generation that does nothing itself, rather they are unknowingly content with watching someone else do something.

During one of Jacks first encounters with Tyler, Tyler states “I want you to hit me as hard as you can.” After some slight hesitation Jack does so, right in Tyler’s ear. This initial punch leads to a small brawl and eventually the creation of Fight Club. The physical contact of the fight offered ironic comfort for Jack, much like the support groups only greater. Now he actually felt alive again, he found a reason to live.  

            The differences between Jack and Tyler are vast yet they work together perfectly, this dichotomy is clear in terms of gender identity. Jack is submissive, quite and plain, he never makes the first move and is unsure of everything he does. Tyler on the other hand is bold, confident, and daring, he comes off as an adrenaline junkie with no rhyme or reason. Even the two men’s physical appearances support this division, from Edward Norton’s sensitive voice to Brad Pitt’s chiseled jaw. Not saying that Jack is feminine but he is far from the masculine status of Tyler. Fight Club presents the idea that masculinity has become a brand, a means to sell products to men. In this sense “being a man” means owning the right clothes or car rather than knowing whom you are and what your values truly stand for. This lack of identity is perpetuated by the fact that the majority of the characters here grew up with out a father, without that stable guidance and had to learn masculinity from an outside source.

            “Man, I see in fight club the strongest and smartest men who’ve ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see it squandered. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need. We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War is a spiritual war… our Great Depression is our lives. We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off.”

            This is one of my favorite speeches from Tyler, it really shows what a charismatic leader he is. The men in Fight Club are the grey and blue-collar workers, the proletarians.  Because of social stratification the people on top are offered exclusive advantages that keep them on top and cause a strong sense of alienation to the worker due to the reality of their powerlessness. Fight Club is a community of sworn brothers, that together pledge to no longer be alienated. These men create their own social construction of reality, a complete counterculture to the postmodern consumer society, in order to deal with the role strain they experience everyday. However Fight Club, full of brothers transforms into Project Mayhem, comprised of social terrorists.

Spoiler Alter: The mindblowing twist of this story is discovered close to the end, Tyler Durden and Jack are in fact the same person. In spite of Jack’s doctor’s diagnosis, his case of insomnia was dangerous and with a lack of medication it evolved into schizophrenia. Jack’s subconscious created Tyler

“All the ways you wish you could be, that’s me. I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.”    - Tyler explains

            But by this point Jack’s alter ego has gone to far with his Project Mayhem and in the end, seeing how he is losing himself to Tyler, Jack puts a gun in his mouth so no more destruction could come from his unconsciousness. With a pull of the trigger and a loud bang, Tyler is gone. But this failed suicide becomes a symbolic murder, and a reawaking of Jack’s true self.

         I am happy with how my final presentation went, I practiced many times to ensure that it would go smoothly and keep to the time limit. This was a fun speech to put together because of how much I enjoy Fight Club, I have analyzed this film every time I watched it and this was an opportunity to final voice my thoughts. This movie is so dense with themes and context that it was hard to narrow down to a 7 minute window but I feel that I accomplished that while give a solid overview of the entire movie. In regards to my progression through the class I learned how important eye contact and adapting your speech to your audience is. Both these tools I utilized for my final presentation and will continue to use in future situations. I enjoyed this class, it had a laid backed atmosphere that allowed my classmates and I to talk about what we are actually interested in. 

Bibliography:

Fight Club. Director David Fincher. Performers Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. 20th Century Fox 1999

Price, Bryan. A Psychological Analysis of Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club: How the World of Psychology Applies to this Famous Novel; 2007