fight club marxism essay

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Marxist Film Theory and Fight Club (Bloomsbury, 2019)

Anna Kornbluh provides an overview of Marxist approaches to film, with particular attention to three central concepts in Marxist theory in general that have special bearing on film: “the mode of production,” “ideology,” and “mediation.” In explaining how these concepts operate and how they have been used and misused in film studies, the volume employs a case study to exemplify the practice of Marxist film theory.

Fight Club is an exceptionally useful text with which to explore these three concepts because it so vividly and pedagogically engages with economic relations, ideological distortion, and opportunities for transformation. At the same time, it is a very typical film in terms of the conditions of its production, its marketing, and its popularity. Adapted from a novel by Chuck Palahniuk, the film is a contemporary classic that has lent itself to significant re-interpretation with every shift in the political economic landscape since its debut.

Marxist Film Theory and Fight Club models a detailed cinematic interpretation that students can practice with other films, and furnishes a set of ideas about cinema and society that can be carried into other kinds of study, giving students tools for analyzing culture broadly defined.

Reading Marxist Film Theory and Fight Club

Kornbluh has devised a remarkable two-fisted engine that examines simultaneously and in turns Marxist film theory and Fight Club . She offers a rigorous and highly original analysis of the film, in which cinematic form and economic circumstances vie with and outstrip each other, and a superb demonstration of the dialectic at work. Joan Copjec, Professor of Modern Culture and Media, Brown University   “The first rule of Fight Club is: You do not talk about Fight Club.” So, what’s the first rule of Marxist film theory? If you or Anna Kornbluh can’t talk about that either, her short sharp introduction nonetheless offers an expert account of what Marxism is and why-maybe more than ever-it matters. Moving elegantly between different theories of film and a film that does the work of theory, she both explains how several modes of Marxist analysis work and makes a powerful case for Marxism’s status not as one method among many but rather as our best and maybe last chance to engage and to engage critically with the forms of a world we must find wanting. Kent Puckett, Professor of English, University of California, Berkeley

Imogen West-Knights, Times Literary Supplement

Damian Winczewski,  Marx & Philosophy

Ali Alizadeh,  Sydney Review of Books

Luvenis Criticus

A philosophical analysis of fight club, tyler durden, and masculinity in the modern world.

"Fight Club," a 1999 thriller directed by David Fincher and starring Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, and Helena Bonham Carter, is a story about the mundanity of modern life and the psychological turmoil it causes. The protagonist, The Narrator (Edward Norton), leads a life filled with stress and anxiety, resulting in severe insomnia. From this suffering, an alter ego arises, Tyler Durden, who represents everything The Narrator desires to be but is not.

The philosophy behind the movie can be narrowed down to Nietzschean philosophy, specifically the conflict between the 'Ubermensch' (Greater Man) and the 'Last Man,' representing the class of people who have accepted the pains of the status quo and devolved into a 'passive nihilism.' In relation to reality, "Fight Club" represents a world in which disaffected young men and women live in an advanced world where most people work to consume things they do not need. The modern technology and comfort it brings allow for a sedentary lifestyle focused on short-term pleasure rather than long-term fulfilment through hard work. Young men, in particular, are severely impacted due to societal rules that discourage intensely masculine behaviour such as drive, aggression, and competition.

The Narrator, played by Edward Norton, embodies the archetype of the last man. Like much of modern society, he lives his adult years wasting away in an office, completing tasks for a boss he hates and void of true purpose. Arising from the pains of his life, he develops insomnia, which can be described philosophically as 'death anxiety.' The death of God and the concept of a supernatural being that saves one's soul has led modern man to experience a pathological fear of death. Humans have no way to satisfy a subconscious fear of death after abandoning the concept of an afterlife, so they seek to immerse themselves in the material world instead of distracting themselves.

The Narrator represents the average person today, a lifeless drone going through the motions of the day with little motivation, dreams, or drive. Despite living in an age where first-world people can go anywhere, see anything, and do almost anything, life still operates within the Pareto principle; 80% live simply as workers and consumers, and 20% operate freely or are in control of the 80%.

Like many young men today, The Narrator has been discouraged from engaging in his masculine urges, with societal rules and laws built over time to eradicate unique masculine behaviours such as aggression and competitiveness, as they are said to lead to violence. The technological world is incredibly fragile and relies on abandoning primal urges and natural needs. At one point, men would use a spear as their tool of choice, but now the computer does all the work for them, leaving them docile. Docility and the lack of masculinity due to rules have turned man from hunter to gatherer exclusively.

According to Friedrich Nietzsche, the concept of the 'Last man' describes people who are passive nihilists, do not take risks, break boundaries, or leave comfort and security with the goal of the betterment of their condition. Instead, they accept themselves as mediocrities with no desire. The decline of religion, specifically in the Western world, has created an absence of purpose, leading to indulgence in material desires or activities. The concept of 'Surrogate Activities,' as written by Theodore Kaczynski, states

'We use the term "surrogate activity" to designate an activity that is directed toward an artificial goal that people set up for themselves merely in order to have some goal to work toward, or let us say, merely for the sake of the "fulfilment" that they get from pursuing the goal.'

Said surrogate activities frequently tend to be self-destructive. Society often engages in acts that lead to gratification, as said but will also cause physical and mental damage. Individuals become their enemies within a community absent of famine, plague and war. The "Living for the weekend" culture prevalent among working people has ultimately led to excessive drinking and its consequences plaguing the class. Alcoholism, once a shared issue between the aristocrats and the peasants, has found itself to cause strife among the lowest rank. Unhealthy food has become the meal of choice for working people thanks to being easy to cook or buy. They are ultimately causing the poorest of society to suffer the most from obesity. The normalisation of Pornography has created a situation in which children aged 12 will, on average, be introduced to it and will soon engage in it for their entire life. Young men will find themselves suffering early from erectile dysfunction due to porn addiction and having a lower level of testosterone than their granddad. Real men, like the Narrator, are living lives of emasculation. They have lost their vigour and virility to modern consumerist culture and the toxic environment they must live in. The world of Fight Club is simply a mirror to our own.

Many men watching Fight Club become uncomfortable when they understand that the Narrator is more relatable than they want him to be. Much of Western Society lives simply as neutered animals, with limited human capacity to serve capital. Tyler Durden contrasts the Last Man concept and the Narrator. As already stated, Tyler is a creation in the mind of The Narrator. Tyler embodies the characteristics that The Narrator desires, physically fit, fearless, and dedicated to his beliefs. The purpose of this personality is to change The Narrator from the submissive 'Last Man' to a dominant Ubermensch, dedicated to the cause of freeing humanity from the chains of the capitalist system and the by-products of consumerism.

The hyper-masculine, dominant alter ego of The Narrator is introduced as Tyler Durden. Within our world, men that embrace natural masculinity are discouraged from engaging in society due to mass propaganda calling masculinity 'toxic'. 'Toxic Masculinity' as a concept is an organised attack by ideologues within academia to discourage men from embracing their true nature as men. This aims to subvert men away from ideologies that appeal to the male psyche, such as conservatism, in favour of ideologies that further the goals of an elite class. In this generation, young men are primarily influenced by social media and the internet. There is also a clear appetite among this demographic for content that promotes masculinity, for example Andrew Tate being propelled into the public sphere. His name became one of the most searched on the planet. However just as he reached his peak popularity, there was a coordinated ban wave across numerous platforms, specifically social media, but even email services. Tyler is a representative of masculine figures in the world. Estranged, cast out by the system.

As their relationship progresses, the Narrator gradually becomes more radicalised by Tyler's philosophy, and they create a Fight Club and recruit members. The purpose of the said club at face value was not to settle disputes or for competition but to awaken other men up to the Durden worldview. Men seek a sense of fraternity with like-minded individuals; however, since the Industrial Revolution, such groups have slowly been rendered obsolete. Men no longer have the time or energy to engage in such activities. The descent into 'passive nihilism' has also contributed to a lack of fraternal groups. Freemasons, Templars, and others believed in a metaphysical worldview and had a spiritual basis. With these beliefs, men could come together to meet their shared goals and benefit from each other's help and wisdom. This cannot take place in the workplace. Much of the population in the capitalist world care very little for the labour they produce. Tyler's club becomes a surrogate activity for The Narrator and the other disaffected young men, as it stimulates the primal desires of men and the innately violent nature that has allowed for the survival of humans. The men simulate our ancestors' activities for survival or initiation purposes. The fight club represents communities of eccentric young men that exist today. Due to tight media control, men who dissent from the system even without intending to harm anyone, are shut off from the mainstream platforms. They are forced to operate outside the system's infrastructure, which can be dangerous. This poses a problem because when ideas of traditionalism in terms of gender and dissenting political views are shut off from the conversation, it allows the radicalisation of many individuals that otherwise would not be if they were allowed to engage. The demonisation of these people leads to isolation, isolation is a breeding ground for violence. Young men need a platform to air their grievances.

Since enlightenment, humans has slowly begun to abandon the previous belief in a moral supreme being that helps guide us in our lives with its set rules, with the purpose of reaching the afterlife. Modern advancements in technology have not proven that God does not exist but have raised questions about the existence of God. A sudden drop in religiosity has left many wondering, is our life meaningless? The absence of the metaphysical leaves much of society falling into a sense of nihilism. Life does not have a more significant meaning or purpose. The consequence of this is the submission to material desires and pleasure, to remedy the existential fear that once we die, it is over. The nihilist world is one of carnal pleasure. One of degenerate social trends, the collapse of the family through anti-natalism, and hyper-consumerism. Many philosophers have created theories that attempt to form a solution to these issues.

Tyler emphasises the importance of coming to terms with the fact that man and God are no longer linked, and modern man must adopt a new sense of spiritualism. He uses the metaphor of fathers being our models for God. men use their fathers as the archetype of how to live. He creates a syncretism between living in your father's image and God’s. Due to the capitalist mode of production requiring men to dedicate most of their time and energy to the workplace, the father's influence is hindered. Fathers in many religions are valued as the link between their children and the metaphysical. Therefore, modern men and women suffer from spiritual crises. Moreover, the disconnect between Dad and Son leads to the emasculation of young men. Freud's famous idea of the Oedipus Complex states that the male offspring's belief in a rivalry between themself and the father is a necessary stage of development. However, the father and son must rekindle a solid relationship to complete oedipal development. Without this stage, being completed can lead to psychological problems in later life. In essence, Tyler uses this idea to explain the emasculated men issue.

The Narrator previously stated that he never knew his dad and wanted to fight him. Tyler, therefore, is seeking to remedy the damage from the Narrator not completing oedipal development; this may be through replacing his father with the image of Tyler. Many of today's men are suffering from the issues of absent fathers and the lack of belief in fatherhood. The rise of female empowerment has made the traditional family a tale of the past. Both social movements and capitalism have forced a disconnect between the son and the father. Long working hours give the father and son less time to build relationships. Female empowerment has given rise to high divorce rates. Prior to second and third-wave feminism, divorce rates were relatively low. In 1960 the rate was around 9.2 new divorces per 1000 people. By 1980 this was at 22.6% Wang (2020) . Data shows that women are more likely to initiate divorce, which increases significantly if the woman is educated, Wang (2015) .

The concept behind Tyler's philosophy in Fight Club is representative of how modern men are disconnected from their masculinity. The movie portrays The Narrator as a man lacking ambition, who seeks a male role model to better himself. This is a common experience among young men today who are in search of guidance in a world that often overlooks their needs. The crux of Tyler's philosophy is that men must rediscover their masculinity in a spiritual manner. This can be accomplished through activities that provide a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment, without resorting to the extreme violence depicted in the movie. Fight Club's message is deeply philosophical and reflects the difficulties faced by men in our society. It is crucial for young men to find an outlet for their thoughts and reclaim traditional gender norms and masculinity. This essay has used Fight Club and the ideas of various philosophers to delve into these themes and propose solutions on how men can rediscover their identity in a rapidly changing world. It is a call to action for men to take charge of their lives and find meaningful ways to engage with the world.

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Post #6 Neo-Marxist Perspective of Fight Club

When considering breaking the first rule of the world’s most popular club it has to be for a good reason. A better reason might be found but for today doing a Neo-Marxist analysis of “Fight Club” (1999) directed by David Fincher seems appropriate. The movie, which follows an unnamed narrator (Ed Norton) and the ever charismatic Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) as they delve deep into the sexual and violent world of fight club, which is one they have created for themselves to become fully realized and self-actualized men.

This journey that the characters are traveling down sees Tyler Durden’s mission to destroy the modern world as it has made men soft and unable to achieve anything through the trappings of materialism and polite society. His message is appealing and garners a global underground following that in turn becomes a terrorist network with Durden at the head.

This movie has a lot to say about what it means to be a man and how that image can impact you from the beginning. The hegemony of manliness is explored directly and from the beginning thanks to the support groups that Ed Norton’s character is attending in the beginning to cure his insomnia. This is where a character named Bob is introduced, Bob is a man who is suffering from testicular cancer and was once a well-respected bodybuilder who is feeling emasculated due to his ailment and is no longer in his prime but has let himself go due to it. Here the movie comments on the hegemonic idea of manhood within western culture. Someone who is muscular, stoic, and does not confront his emotional side. The movie proceeds state two things, the first is that the hegemonic idea of manhood as just described is the ideal state of being and that through joining Fight Club you can attain this goal. The second is that the hegemonic ideal that is being supported through the media of 1999 is one of a weak man that should be shunned. This dichotomy is challenged time and time again throughout the movie as Ed Norton’s character struggles to attain the fight clubs ideal version of manliness but his best and most heroic moments are when he embraces his more sensitive side, such as when Bob is brought back to the house dead and Ed Norton has an extremely emotional reaction to his death and even buries him which is strictly against the rules of handling a fallen comrade within Fight Club. This break down of one supported hegemony, that of manliness, is a key part within the story of Fight Club and goes on to impact Ed Norton’s later realization that himself and Tyler Durden are actually the same person. This dual personality of the meek and mild man vs. the suave, sexy, and violent Tyler Durden encapsulates the movie’s commentary about male gender roles.

The film also has another hegemonic block that it wrangles itself with. The consumerism that is ever-present throughout the film is front and center during the dramatic climax of the movie when the goals of Tyler Durden are reached and the financial institutions that are housing everyone’s debt are destroyed globally. The beginning of the film sees Ed Norton in a constant cycle of buying new items for his apartment only to replace them with the next issues new thing. This is only stopped once Tyler Durden, the man who is not beholden to society’s niceties and ideals comes into play and devalues all those things that Ed Norton cares about to the point where he blows it up. Tyler Durden is also shown to live in squalor and doesn’t care for any amenity. This is juxtaposed with Tyler’s seeming success as a person. He wants and needs nothing but is “better off” because of his refusal to take part in the hegemonic consumerism that Norton’s character is. Durden wants everyone to break free of the consumerist bullshit as he calls it in order to be free, hence his plan to violently wipe out all debt owed by the common man. By breaking this hegemony Durden knows that chaos will ensue and people will get hurt and die but through this baptism of fire a stronger world will take its place. Durden wishes to break the standard hegemony with one where survival of the fittest is the rule of law. His approach and handling of the situation is barbaric at best, and evil at worst. The new world order that he wishes to rush in.

Now knowing which hegemonies the movie wishes to support and claim are superior it is clear that Fight Club envisions a world where men, and only men, are seen as superior and reach that ideal state of being. Strong, stoic, and violent. A world that is also devoid of the trappings and debt of money and instead focuses on the raw product or service that one can provide in order to support the violent lifestyles that Durden claims to be better. The movie throws out the safe and comfortable world in favor of one that is wrought with hardships but at least hardships that are of their own doing. Durden fails to realize by dismantling the hegemony this way he opens the world up to a lot more violence than he or anyone else is ready for and the ensuing chaos will rip people apart more than it will tough their skin.

2 Responses to Post #6 Neo-Marxist Perspective of Fight Club

Fight Club is a very dense movie to try and analyze, but I think you did a great job of defining the various hegemonies the movie addresses. If you write the next essay on this, you may want to consider the novel the movie is based on and maybe look into interviews people have had with the author and director. I know the author, Chuck Palahnuik has written other books like Invisible Monsters that also discuss gender norms.

That’s a super thoughtful analysis! I like that you have identified two different hegemonies that the movie uses. It would be really interesting to use this topic for your paper and talk about how the two hegemonies interact with each other.

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• February 2020
• January 2020

   David Fincher's Fight Club is a fable about postmodern consumer society, loss of masculine identity amongst male gray-collar workers and the social stratification created by our materialistic society. The story line begins with a nameless narrator referred to as Jack, (Edward Norton) explaining to us how exactly he came to know Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) who we come to find out in the end is actually the alter ego of our narrator. The "two of them" create a men-only underground boxing club and as Tyler Durden progresses closer to becoming the dominant personality, Fight Club evolves into Project Mayhem, multi-celled secret society of oppressed gray-collar workers. The narrator and Tyler hold conversations as if Tyler was really a person and the narrator tends to refer to his current emotional state with phrases such as "I am Jack's sense of rejection." (Fincher 1999) We also come to know Marla Singer, who the narrator met while touring support groups, as the femme fatal that Tyler was sleeping with and antagonized Jack's relationship to Tyler. She knew him as Tyler because it was he who related to her. Through the whole process, Marla Singer's role in the narrator's life eventually causes him to realize that he is the elusive Tyler Durden and he was merely projecting a figment of his imagination.

   Jack spends his days at a job he despises and his nights ransacking mail-order catalogs, desperate to give some meaning to his life all the while giving himself severe insomnia. As Tyler proclaims at a particular session of Fight Club: "We are an entire generation pumping gas - waiting tables - slaves to the white collars. Advertisement has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate, so we can buy shit we don't need." (Fincher 1999) These men, gray-collar workers are proletarians, "people who sell their productive labor for wages." (Macionis 196) In reference to stratification, gray-collar employees are higher than blue-collar employees but are still serving the capitalists above them. They can never achieve the advertised ideal because according to the social-conflict paradigm "stratification provides some people with advantages over others" thus causing an overwhelming sense of alienation due the reality of their powerlessness. (Macionis 196)

© 2002-2007 Jaime Kozlowski of domspe.org

The Prolongation of Work

Engl 117 • spring 2016.

Fight Club: A Commentary on the Crises of Capitalism

Tyler Durden says, “We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s 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.” Fight Club is a coming-of-age movie for the men of Generation X. The movie explores a male-centric critique of American cultural collapse epitomized by emasculation, domestication and materialization and gives extreme solutions to these crises. Fight Club forces its predominantly male audience to reconsider their whole lives. We question whether our lives mean anything, whether our work brings happiness and satisfaction, and whether we are overwhelmed by cultural censorship and mundanity. The desire to escape these problems motivates every decision the main character(s) make. Tyler Durden, the Narrator’s alternate personality, continually pushes the Narrator’s conscious personality (and the audience) to examine the oppressive culture of capitalism. We analyze the Western way of life from an anarchical perspective. This movie portrays Western culture mired in the mundane repetition of industrial production. Social mores mold us as pawns of capitalism: following authority, emulating models, buying useless shit, and censuring ‒ through the use of force or the suggestion of force ‒ contradictory advice. We must ask ourselves if we are comfortable with the repressive forces that act to domesticate us and if our lives improve through the acknowledgement of these forces.

Emasculation

Fight Club pummels its audience with the loss of manhood and masculinity in modern society. This theme is present throughout the movie. Tyler claims that “we’re a generation of men raised by women.” This statement summarizes the American era of maternal child-care with working fathers. This apparent problem is dramatized when the Narrator struggles with insomnia at the beginning of the movie. He copes with the crippling lack of sleep that zombifies his personal and professional life by attending support groups. He finds comfort in listening to other’s painful stories, receiving sympathy, and crying into Bob’s “bitch-tits”.

These sessions make Bob the equivalent of a surrogate mother. The movie suggests men today rely on the warm, pitying support of mother figures to relieve the anxiety of repetitive lives.

Tyler catalyzes the shift in the Narrator’s life. The Narrator admires this gruff, manly figure ‒ a new mentor offering a different path to comfort.

Tyler introduces himself to the Narrator on a plane in the first thirty minutes of the movie, and they stick together until the conclusion. The movie reveals that Tyler is actually a figment of the Narrator’s imagination, an alternate personality that exists to change the Narrator’s life and make him stronger. Introductions aside, after they meet on the plane, the Narrator goes home to find that Tyler/he blew up his apartment. He calls Tyler for help and a place to stay. Tyler forces the Narrator to verbally ask for help. This is the first step towards a new, masculine life for the Narrator. The Narrator has to take control of his actions and, man-to-man, ask for help. The scene ends with Tyler proclaiming, “It could be worse. A woman could cut off your penis while you’re sleeping.” This shocking alternative emphasizes the central focus on masculinity.

Tyler and the Narrator’s relationship truly begins when they form an ultra-masculine “fight club”. Tyler fights instead of crying and seeking comfort in support groups. This strictly male club meets in a basement periodically to fight. The fights are not about winning or losing but rather about building strength and confidence and fulfilling a primal urge.

The Narrator and Tyler begin “sizing” everybody up ‒ even historical figures such as Lincoln. Fight Club presents fighting as the solution to the emasculated male population of America. The previously weak Narrator now stands up to his boss at work. He flaunts injuries. He is no longer afraid, anxious, or disgusted with himself. The Narrator, in his Tyler persona, continues to spread the cult of fighting across the country in new cells. He also assigns “homework” to members. They are supposed to pick a fight with a complete stranger and lose. This reaffirms the movie’s message that fighting isn’t about winning. Fighting taps into a primal pleasure, a fighter’s pain and adrenaline create a unique internal calm. The calm satisfaction that results from fighting is the salvation for the feminized male population.

Domestication

Fight Club frequently suggests that the domestication of individuals in society prohibits meaningful existence. The movie uniquely oscillates between domestic or anti-domestic culture. Before the DVD menu opens and after the FBI message forbidding piracy, a message from Tyler hides in plain sight.

This movie mocks the people who take the time to read government warnings. If you read this message, you’re a drone, a sheep. Tyler’s message harrangues readers about the absurdity of following government advice and the societal pressure to overconsume. Through ridicule, he calls for men to rise up, be spontaneous and “prove” that they are alive and conscious in this world. The opening scene solidifies this theme. We meet the Narrator, who travels frequently for a job that he hates, describing his life in terms of repetitive, forgettable, disposable units: airplane meals, individually packaged soaps, and “single-serving” friends. His life is an anonymous cycle without trouble, excitement, or spontaneity. He prays for a plane crash to end the repetition. He dreads returning to his “filing cabinet” apartment.

Tyler ends this domestic life in an instant by blowing up the Narrator’s house, a move that forces the Narrator to live with Tyler in a run-down, wild house far from civilization.

Tyler works as a projectionist in a theater where he splices glimpses of porn into family movies and as a cook in a fancy restaurant kitchen where he urinates in the soup. He sells soap he makes using human fat stolen from a liposuction clinic. Through these jobs and actions, Tyler shatters the shelter of our privileged lives and our disconnection from the real world. Over the course of the movie, Tyler helps free the Narrator from his numbing nine-to-five job. Tyler’s jobs are some of the movie’s solutions to the problems that arise when a society becomes domesticated. He wants us to be more primal, more focused on survival, more alive.

Materialism

Fight Club also draws attention to society’s infatuation and obsession with materialism. Hatred of consumerism drives the plot. When the Narrator describes his home, he states, “Like so many others, I had become a slave to the IKEA nesting instinct.”  He obsessively buys useless shit for the sake of buying. He buys food that he doesn’t eat. He buys designer clothes, a form of “masturbation”. He watches the Shopping Network for entertainment. Tyler breaks this dismal cycle with nitroglycerine, blowing it all onto the street. Tyler instructs us to destroy the consumerist culture that plagues the world of Fight Club, but we must personally determine if we find this culture a issue in modern society.

Fight Club also insists popular culture is obsessed with masturbation. Fight Club’s term “masturbation”, emphasizing the self-pleasure connotation, means any form of self-improvement to meet society’s standards. Giving up masturbation means no dieting or working out to look like models, no liposuction to become skinny (when the real problem is poor nutrition in the modern diet), and no shopping for brand-names. The film rails against narcissistic investments to improve our looks in unnatural ways. We should not derive pleasure from wearing Ralph Lauren or by going to the gym to look like Brad Pitt (Tyler).

Tyler sums up the incessant materialism of society in three ways: 1.) “Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need”; 2.) “The things you own end up owning you”; and 3.) “You’re not your job. You’re not how much money you have in the bank. You’re not the car you drive. You’re not the contents of your wallet. You’re not your fucking khakis. You’re the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world.” The capitalist nature of modern society infuriates Tyler, who, in turn, asks us to embody his anger. Corporations bombard us with advertisements 24/7. People salivate for material wealth while compromising their happiness in jobs they hate. Tyler implores the audience to understand that we are not what we own or possess. Living a fulfilling life trumps everything.

Tyler states that “it’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything.” This is where Project Mayhem comes in ‒ the climax of the plot and Tyler’s ultimate goal. Behind the Narrator’s back (actually while the Narrator persona is sleeping), Tyler organizes multiple cells of trained fight clubbers to carry out anti-corporation attacks. They detonate explosives on the foundations of a corporate work of art which then rolls into, and destroys, a corporate coffee shop. They vandalize large corporate buildings.  They destroy Apple computers in a store. They accomplish their end goal, blowing up credit company headquarters which erases the debt record. They aim to stymie consumerism and devastate a corporate industry that survives on our materialistic addition. Fight Club’s answer to materialism is the destruction of capitalism.

Fight Club uses visual and auditory elements that imitate advertising tactics. David Fincher, the director, hides a Starbucks cup in every scene. The Narrator claims that in the dystopian future, “when deep space exploration ramps up, it’ll be the corporations that name everything, the IBM Stellar Sphere, the Microsoft Galaxy, Planet Starbucks.” This movie asks us to relook at these seemingly convenient corporations as tyrants seeking to control our lives. Subconscious mind-control through advertising is this story’s antagonist. Even the song that concludes this film, “Where is my Mind” by the Pixies, instructs us to reconsider our existence in society and break-free of our capitalist chains.

What does this all mean?

Fight Club forces its audience to scrutinize the cultural ideologies of the society in which we live. The gender ideology of masculinity this movie adopts almost exclusively portrays male characters. Fight Club has only one significant female role. Her primary purpose is to tease out the strange relationship between Tyler and the Narrator and dramatic concluding reveal that they are the same mind. The supersaturation of male roles emphasizes the varying levels of masculinity of each individual. This automatically forces the audience to examine their own views of masculinity in today’s culture, challenging us to find compelling evidence against Fight Club’s theory of emasculation. The same challenge is presented in the ideologies of anti-materialism and anti-domestication. These core ideologies provide a broader critique of capitalism ‒ a critique reflected in the current rebellion against political and corporate interests, driven in large part by disenfranchised white men.