The novel Fight Club, by Chuck Palahniuk was published in 1996, and released as a motion picture starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in 1999. It is an important piece of literature because it portrays the problems experienced by the modern day male who feels trapped in a world of the gray-collar working-class, a world filled with materialism and distractions, a group of men raised in single-parent families often devoid of a male role-model, in a world where there is no great cause to fight for. It is a story in which my generation can relate to, which probably led to the success of both the novel and motion picture.

Fight Club is written as a limited omniscient narrative. As the story begins, we meet the main character, and narrator of the story, whose name is unmentioned. In the credits of the movie he is referred to as Jack, so this is what I will call him throughout this essay. Jack refers to himself as a “thirty-year old boy” employed as a recall coordinator for a major automobile company. He lives in a condo, and defines himself through his possessions. Jack also suffers from a severe case of insomnia. The cause, which is unkn

The other key difference takes place in the final scene of the story. Jack has a gun in his hand and is standing at the top of a building, waiting for the great explosion that has been set to take place. In the novel, Jack dies and philosophizes with God about humanity. In the motion picture Jack lives and succeeds in ‘killing Tyler’ by blowing off the side of his face.

The author uses many literary techniques to hint at the stories themes. Tyler teaches Jack make soap. Jack and Tyler begin making soap from human fat that they have obtained from the discard bins of liposuction clinics and selling this soap to the department stores in their city. Both Tyler and Jack find delight in “selling rich women their fat asses back to them.” Soap is a very important symbol in Fight Club, as Tyler explains that soap ultimately symbolizes heroism, and human sacrifice. This becomes known in the following excerpt from the book:

While walking home after the fight, Tyler and Jack analyze what took place. Tyler asks Jack what it was that he had really been fighting during the brawl, to which Tyler replies “my father.” In the following quotation, Jack explains his situation with his own father:

As Project Mayhem progresses, Jack discovers that Tyler is suddenly present less and less and that Jack has begun to sleep more and more. He is unable to relate the two because he still thinks that Tyler is a real person. Jack discovers a bunch of plane ticket stubs in a drawer in Tyler’s room and sets out on a quest to find him. In each city that Jack lands, he frequents all the local pubs and bars, only to discover to his horror that Fight Clubs have popped up all over these major cities. Everywhere he goes people seem to know him, and often wink at him or refer to him as ‘Tyler Durden’.

Tyler’s solution for the correction of society’s flaws is also is another example of hitting rock bottom. Tyler plans to blow up important financial buildings in strategic cities across North America so that the debt record will be erased and everyone can start from zero, completely freed. It is interesting to note the similarities between Tyler’s philosophy and the events of 9-11.

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