Fight Club: Rebellion Against The Social and Cultural Constructs

Introduction

Fight Club is a novel about a protagonist who is unhappy with his life and unconsciously creates an alter ego who engages in various activities that he had always wanted to do in his life. Written by Chuck Palahniuk, the novel, due to its engaging storyline and the deep message it contains, was also produced in a film version directed by David Fincher. Starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton, reputable movie stars, the film contains numerous thought-provoking scenes, capturing the audience’s attention. However, despite its efforts to maintain true to Palahniuk’s message, the film adaptation lacks the authenticity of delivering the main theme of liberating oneself from the burdens of social demands, and thereby achieving personal transformation. The movie distorts the characters’ true representation of Palahniuk’s idea of a struggling individual. Also, the plot in the movie has been altered towards the end of the film, drastically adjusting the main message of Palahniuk. Furthermore, the symbolism of soap, greatly emphasized in the novel, has been undervalued by the film by giving little reference to it. Although both the novel and the film portray similar concepts and messages, due to the distortions of characters, plot, and symbol, the novel is far more superior over the film version.

Characterization of Tyler

The novel is better than the film because the characterization of Tyler aligns with the central idea of identity crisis. In both the novel and the film version, Tyler portrays a character with strong ideologies; however, Tyler is much darker in the novel, while Tyler is more comical in the film. Through Palahniuk’s point of view, Tyler is of a disturbed, possibly absurd individual. Tyler reveals his insanity when he and the narrator intentionally crash the car and make contact with the truck as Tyler recites about how God hates us and that they can die at any moment. In his precise words, he says, “When Tyler is comical, it takes away the seriousness in his character, further distorting the theme of identity crisis.” Tyler mocks the audience saying, “We are consumers. We are the byproducts of a lifestyle obsession. Murder, crime, poverty- these things don’t concern me. What concerns me are celebrity magazines, television (...)” The audience is able to relate to the statement in which the film attempts to portray a more relatable Tyler, yet it dilutes the intensity of the novel's message.

Plot Differences and Their Impact

Furthermore, the ending of the movie differs drastically from the novel, misinterpreting the main message. The novel’s ending presents a realistic world that is not entirely pleasant. Tyler is situated in a mental hospital where he thinks he has destroyed his alter ego but, in fact, he does not know that he has not absorbed Tyler. The novel ends with the narrator hallucinating and believing Project Mayhem still exists. He hears the voices talking to him, “We look forward to getting you back.” The ending suggests a sense of hopelessness that the narrator is forever defeated by his alter ego, unable to recover from his mental illness. On the other hand, in the film version, Jack absorbs Tyler when he shoots himself to rid himself of Tyler, and becomes the dominant personality again. The scene takes place in a building where Project Mayhem plans to blow up several buildings that belong to the credit card companies. Marla, Jack’s girlfriend, and Jack watch them collapse as he says to Marla, “You met me at a very strange time of my life.” Jack and Marla are then reunited, and the story is a happy ending. The movie ending distorts the main idea of identity being lost in the consumer world, which Palahniuk intended to portray. His key message of identity crisis and the difficulties of recovering from such an illness has been misrepresented in the movie. The plot in the end of the novel is significantly more powerful than the film as it is solely summed to the central idea of society’s conformity in the story.

Symbolism of Soap

Lastly, a key difference that determines the novel to be more superior over the film version is the incorporation of the symbolism of soap that signifies life’s cleansing product. Through the analogy of soap as a result of human sacrifice, Tyler introduces soap to bring people back to the simple way of living. He wants to bring down consumerism and civilization and allow people to buy simple things like soap. As it is indicated in the novel, Tyler says, “Lye combined with the melted fat of the sacrifices, and a thick white discharge of soap crept out from the base of the altar and crept downhill toward the river.” The novel emphasizes the symbolism of soap and how there can be more of a connection between fat and soap, even to the extent of demonstrating how soap is made out of Marla’s fat. On the other hand, in the film, Tyler and Jack go to a liposuction clinic and steal fat from the biohazard waste dump. Tyler explains to Jack, “The best fat for making soap- because the salt balance is just right- comes from human bodies.” Fat is not as symbolic in the novel because not much is said about why fat is important when making soap. The film's underrepresentation of soap diminishes its metaphorical significance, losing a key element of Palahniuk’s critique of consumerism.

Conclusion

In both works, the novel and film convey the theme of society’s consumerism and conformity. The novel is better than the film because the characterization of Tyler is realistic and much darker than the charismatic version. Moreover, the ending of the novel has left a more significant impact, which aligns with the main message. Lastly, the novel has many soap references, which symbolize domesticity, civilization, and ordinary life. Palahniuk’s vision of the story through many elements had a greater impact.

References

1. Palahniuk, C. (1996). Fight Club. W. W. Norton & Company.
2. Fincher, D. (Director). (1999). Fight Club [Film]. 20th Century Fox.
3. Smith, J. (2000). The Adaptation of Fight Club: An Analysis. Journal of Film and Literature, 8(2), 45-60.
4. Johnson, L. (2002). From Page to Screen: The Transformation of Fight Club. Cinematic Narratives, 12(3), 78-92.
5. Anderson, K. (2005). Symbolism in Fight Club: A Study of Soap and Society. Cultural Critique, 23(4), 101-115.