Fight Club Thoughts

FIGHT CLUB

If Project Mayhem succeeded, how would a post-Project Mayhem society differ from the pre-Project Mayhem society?

It could be considered utter chaos. The aim of Project Mayhem seems to be to create a clean slate for society, rejecting capitalism and materialism and encouraging natural instinct and the value of freedom and equality. Tyler describes this society before his apparent disappearance- he refers to "leather clothes that you will wear all your life", showing that in this new society there will be none of the emphasis on clothing and material possessions generally that the pre-Project Mayhem capitalist society enforces through media and other aspects of the superstructure.

 

Can Project Mayhem be stopped, or has it progressed beyond the point of no return?

Due to the sheer size and devotion of the group behind Project Mayhem, I believe it has progressed beyond the point of no return. As so many previous authority figures are either members (such as the policemen when the main character turns himself in) or corrupted/manipulated (like the government figure confronted by Tyler in the bathroom), there would be almost no way to regain system as it was without replacing all of these people (and there is a likelihood they would be converted also). Furthermore even if this was possible, the devotion of the men behind Project Mayhem could mean essentially a repeat of the same events and no real way to stop their terroristic actions.

Tyler believes that people cannot live unless they first hit bottom. Do you agree?

Tyler believes that hitting bottom is a type of freedom- when you have nothing you are free to do anything. I tend to agree with Tyler in this case... I agree that hitting bottom will give an appreciation for what you have in life, and may change your life in a way you could never have expected. However I do feel you can live happily without ever hitting your lowest point, but as to whether you are whether you are truly 'living' - and could be more satisfied with your life after taking risks and coming back from rock bottom - there is no real way to know. I think bad experiences in life can undoubtedly shape a person for good and/or bad, and stepping far beyond comfort could be considered truly living.



Which characters in the film "hit bottom" and how? Does it give them a renewed appreciation for life?

• The main character hits bottom when his apartment and his treasured possessions explode- this frees him from his material ties and leads to the start of Fight Club. Before this event, he was dissatisfied with his life as a slave to capitalism, and after, he has a renewed appreciation of life despite his poor surroundings and bad situation.
• Marla hits bottom when she takes an overdose of Xanax in her apartment. It isn't clear exactly what pushes her to this point , and whether it is the same circumstance that led to her joining the support groups initially. It is uncertain if this gives her a renewed appreciation for life as she refers to Tyler as the "worst thing that ever happened to (her)" , and not much of her is seen throughout the film beyond her exploitation by Tyler.
• The store worker held at gunpoint by Tyler hits bottom in this event. Although we never see the consequences of the meeting, we can assume that out of fear of being killed, he begins his path to becoming a veterinarian like he had dreamed of. Likely this gave him a renewed appreciation of life as not only did he survive a life-or-death situation, he also progressed toward his childhood dream.

What is our narrator really fighting against?

Society. The narrator a victim of society and unsatisfied with his life and work, seemingly why Tyler is created in his headspace- he could be seen to represent an idealistic version of the narrator with true freedom (though the narrator does not truly want to be Tyler, and he is more of a secondary personality), more confidence and power. It is possible this personality was created in the narrator's subconscious due to his dissatisfaction with how he has been treated, and his actions in joining Tyler and starting the club are his attempts to fight back against a society that has wronged him.
 

There are only two female characters in the film. How do they contribute to the film's themes? Why aren't there more female perspectives in the film?

The main theme in Fight Club is toxic masculinity. This is supported by all members of Fight Club being male, and the only two female characters seemingly being looked down on by the main character and Tyler, and that for both, sexuality is a large part of their personalities.

• Marla- Marla, a victim of society, finds herself in a similar situation as the protagonist, attending support groups for an unstated reason- presumably linked to her lack of money (shown by her taking other people's food etc.).  Marla, while independent and a force unto herself, is used by Tyler for sex and ignored and viewed with disdain by the main character. When Marla confronts the main character about why he stopped attending the support groups, he tells her that he's found something different , "only for men" . This supports the theme of toxic masculinity- though this is the only time it is openly stated, no member of Fight Club is female, despite the group growing from word of mouth - implying the members of the club do not see women as equal, whether consciously or subconsciously due to patriarchal society. 
• Chloe- Chloe is a member of the brain parasite support group the main character attends. In what little screen time she has, she is portrayed as being sex-obsessed yet unappealing due to the disease affecting her physical appearance. This supports the theme of toxic masculinity- she is seen as nothing beyond a sex object.

Would you join a fight club? Would you join Project Mayhem?

I would personally not join a fight club nor Project Mayhem as I believe that while a post-Project Mayhem society may be freeing, I don't see it as idealistic and think that a more structured society has its positives.

What ideologies surrounding Hegemony are present in the film?
 

Hegemony claims that society unknowingly accepts the norm and enforces dominant ideologies. This is clearly a prominent idea in Fight Club, with Tyler and the values of the club being significant and somewhat extremist:

• Patriarchy- Similarly to toxic masculinity, the club reinforces the ideology of patriarchy, a male-dominated society. The people shown in positions of power (such as the government official blackmailed by Tyler) are men, as are the revolutionary members of Project Mayhem, the people making a difference.
• Collectivism- Collectivism "stresses the worth of the group instead of that of the individual". It could be said that this is a ideology supported by the film, due to Tyler's insistence that the members of Project Mayhem are worth nothing and are part of a bigger movement, but somewhat hypocritically Tyler also supports its antithesis, individualism ("the inherent worth of each individual and focuses on self-sufficiency and freedom") in his imagining of his new society and on a more personal level, regarding the narrator and the shopkeeper he threatened.

What is the message of the film with regard to media/consumption culture?

The film rejects consumption culture- most blatantly when Tyler states "The things you own end up owning you". Not many overt references to media are made beyond news showing the actions of Project Mayhem and the Calvin Klein advert on the subway (to which Tyler responds "Self improvement is masturbation"), The overall message appears to be that this culture is unsatisfying and inevitably irrelevant, with the narrator's life before Tyler seemingly representing the extremity of consumerism, so far that he even defines himself by his belongings- he states "I’d flip through catalogues and wonder, what kind of dining set defines me as a person?". Though confusing and dangerous, he only finds a genuine satisfaction when he rejects this culture entirely and leaves his precious home.