Demystifying Fight Club
Fight Club is one of the best movies ever made. Period.
I still remember when I watched it the first time. I assumed the movie would be a light action movie with some action, drama and basic happy ending.
Was I wrong!
WARNING: this article is chock-full of spoilers!!! Read further only if you have seen the movie. You have been warned.
Even nowadays when I watch it, years later, it still stirs up questions and interpretations in my head. The author of the story (the movie was based on a book) clearly had some intriguing ideas that he tackled on with the narrative. And the movie delivered it splendidly in this 90' classic pop culture icon of a movie! The actors worked had great chemistry, the action was fluid and never boring, and the scenes did a good job on setting an atmosphere of the dizzying world of Jack’s head and his riveting thoughts clashing with real life.
In a nutshell, the movie can be viewed as a study of Jack, who represents the average normal person in the modern day. Indulgent in consumerism, with a lack of purpose and suppressed emotions. But all this ignorance and apathy backfires on himself in totally unexpected ways.
The Theme of Identity
One recurring theme in the movie is that of identity. Jack (the main characters’ name is Jack) constantly says things within the pattern of “I’m Jack’s Wasted Life”, “ I’m Jack’s Complete Lack Of Surprise”, “ I’m Jack’s Cold Sweat”. What’s happening here is that Jack is identifying with his emotions. Notice how he says “I am” and then identifies with what he feels in that moment? Like a person who is laser-focused on the present moment and is oblivious of anything outside of that. Throughout the movie, Jack maintains this attitude of identifying with frail temporary feelings (like anger, surprise, vindictiveness, etc.)
Jack needed to acknowledge those emotions he felt. He needed to accept his loss of faith, but he couldn’t compute, or he refused to. He was never aware that that was his choice to make. He felt powerless. That is why needed his polar opposite, Tyler Durden. His mind created Tyler out of need. Out of survival.
This is what Jack had done “wrong” and what he bears throughout the whole movie, until the ending, when he successfully resolves this conflict (his inner conflict). But he sure goes through a hellish rabbit hole of the things that troubled him from the beginning, but amplified: powerlessness, confusion and uncertainty.
Jack’s insomnia
Insomnia appears when people have troubling unresolved thoughts. That is exactly what Jack had, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He was seeking shelter in his home. He was more than attached to his physical possessions. He identified with it also. There is a scene in which he meticuluously describes every piece of furniture in his room. That was his fortress. A false one. But it offered what he sought and what he thought he needed (the sense of security). He equated his house with his all-fulfilling sense of security. But his insomnia was not letting go, and he could not crawl away from it inside his “shelter”.
It’s worthy to take note that Jack’s lack of sense of security stemmed from his lack of identity. This is a logical consequence. I one moment he could feel rage and become it (“ I’m Jack’s Smirking Revenge”), and in the next second he could feel devastated (“I’m Jack’s Inflamed Sense Of Rejection”) and become powerlesness itself. Just like a dirty plate left to the side too long, becomes a fertile ground for bacteria, so his mind left with no sense of identity had to make due with what was available (Jack’s weird feelings)
The Moment he Cracked
There was no exact moment he ‘cracked’. But he was in a desolate state in which his lack of sleep, was overbearing.
“For six months I couldn’t sleep. With insomnia, nothing’s real. Everything is far away. Everything is a copy … of a copy … of a copy” — Jack
I want to stress out one more time: it was not the lack of sleep which was the problem. The root of all this was his lack of identity, which rose out of his lack of self-worth and self-care. His lack of self-preoccupation.
He did find something that worked for him. It came in the form of the meeting groups. He could find in other peoples’ tragedies and suffering what he desperately needed: the feelings of pain and hopelessness. The self-concern that other people could manifest, but he couldn’t. He became addicted to it
It’s like the Universe was giving him a hint that all those people, who have lost everything dear to them or were suffering of terminal illness, who would have given anything to change places with Jack, had something that Jack needed. And Jack succumbed to the whole play. He succumbed into denial again, just to have his fix. But when Marla came into the scene, the smoke and mirrors of his denial broke down and he was forced to do what he has been running away from this whole time: facing reality, his existence, his life.
On the culmination of all these factors: Jacks insomniac state (along with the desperation and mental dysfunction that it brought), the fix he got from feeding off of people’s suffering and having that taken away from him, standing toe-to-toe with Marla (the representation of everything he needed and deprived himself of) and being oblivious of her; it was Jack’s decisive moment a make-or-break choice: patching his life back together, or carrying on to be absent-minded and heart-numbed with no will-power.
And he went with the latter. All that was needed was a spark to blow up whatever sense of individuality he had left. And that was his house. When it exploded. And then he met Tyler Durden. And everything is history from there.
The funny thing though, is Tyler’s skills and know-how in soap production and film editing, but I’ll come back to that later.
The last fork in the road (i.e. last chance of putting things right with himself and starting over properly), is when he calls Marla to ask her to stay over. She answers. But he doesn’t say anything. He blocks out. Maybe it was Tyler taking control over him, that hung up the phone. Maybe it was his own sense (choice) of powerlessness.
Either way, the cards have been dealt. He sticks with Tyler.
Tyler actually mocks Jack later, when he cannot ask for what he wants to ask, to stay over. It must have been Jack being used to not being listened or having any say or power over things. Maybe even some past unresolved trauma? Whatever it was, that attitude stuck with Jack (it became an involuntary habit), being the root of the hell he lived through, throughout the movie.
“I’m Jack’s Medulla Oblongata” — Jack
Characters
Jack is the main guy from this story. On imDB he is referred to as “The Narrator”. Probably because he used so many names in the groups that he was visiting. Pretty much everybody called him something different.
Marla is a girl from the real world (as opposed to Tyler). She encompasses what Jack lacks, the sense of self, which she manifests through self-suffering, depression, curiosity for Jack/Tyler. She does, however, lack something that Jack is overfilled with: the survival instinct. (in one scene, she casually walked through city traffic, endangering her life, without blinking; and in another scene she overdosed on drugs, almost killing herself, just to attempt to get Jack’s attention). She is Jack’s polar opposite. His soulmate. His “power animal” as she is described in a scene in which Jack meditates.
Tyler stands on the other shoulder of Jack, as the ill-intended character. Tyler is also everything that Jack is not: he takes action, he has initiative, he follows his goals decisively and with extreme discipline. He is careless and ruthless. He is, also, the polar opposite of Jack. Tyler doesn’t care about life, but unlike Jack, he cares about his movement. The amount of planning and execution of his huge nationwide organisation is an extraordinary feat. The irony here is that all that power was within Jack’s grasp. It was his. But in Jack’s absence, Tyler was the one who put it to work.
Tyler vs Marla
Tyler was always aware of Marla being a danger to him. He kept her and Jack apart at all times. There was a scene in which Marla was saying things that would compromise Tyler’s (hideout) and Jack couldn’t hear what she was saying because of some noise Tyler was making with a drill.
Tyler knew very well that if she changes Jack for the better, then he will disappear. And if he disappears his “Project Mayhem” would not be fulfilled. I think he cared only for his plan and saw Marla as a threat to its completion.
Tyler’s Indoctrination
It comes back to the theme of Identity. Although Jack was unaware of it, Tyler knew EXACTLY what was going on and how to use this tool.
Remember when Jack was saying “I am Jack’s _”?
Tyler kept saying “ We are the all singing, all dancing, crap of the world”. That may be what he actually believed (he did say WE). However, that phrase became the indoctrination slogan that Tyler used to lead people into his mindset and to get them aboard (and devoted) to his plan. Along with the military-style, pain-enduring, no-brainer tasks that he gave them. It is true that Tyler Durden was controlling those people with his tactics, but in the end, those people were people without a better purpose. And Tyler gave them a purpose. He used the same methods he used on Jack.
He addressed their identity with lines such as: “You are not special”, “You are not your job”, “You are not your khakis”; stripping them of the very things that gave them their sense of self.
..and the main line used to instigate to Project Mayhem: “We have no great war.”
Jack was disgusted with those people. But he couldn’t see (until the end) that he’s been just like them.
Tylers’ Skills
It is intriguing to note that Tyler had some skillsets which he made use of. Most notably, producing soap. He had a soap company, and he sold soap. That was his main occupation (it was on his business card).
He later used his soap knowledge to synthetise bombs from soap. Tyler made use of this skill a lot. He also, used one of his improvised bombs to destroy Jack’s apartment.
Tyler also had another past job. He made transitions between movie reels in a cinema. During his job he used to add a split-second of vulgar imagery inbetween the transitions, so it was unnoticeable. He doesn’t use this anywhere else in the movie, but at the end, there is a flash of such an image in the movie itself. I am assuming that this hints at the fact that Tyler was using this technique to induce ideas and thoughts into Jacks’ mind. And the scene at the end is an easter egg for that. It makes sense that this would be one of his tactics, since Jack kept no account of what he was doing, leaving himself unwary and vulnerable. As he said: “When you have insomnia, you’re never really asleep, and you’re never really awake. With insomnia, nothing’s real. Everything is far away.“
The fighting
The fighting was a symbol of Jack fighting back Tyler. At first it was amicably, as a game between them. Then it grew in the horrendous cult known as Fight Club.
There are 2 significant scenes:
The car scene
In the car scene, Tyler convinces Jack to let go of control. Jack, eventually, “let’s go”, getting one step closer to becoming Tylers’ puppet. The car scene represents Jack giving up on his individual free will and accepting, basically anything that comes, including death. This is an example of Tylers’ indoctrination.
The bleach scene
This scene, is very similar to the car scene. Tyler convinces Jack to give up control, give into pain and accept Tylers’ ideas. This is an even stronger scene because at the end, Jack receives a token of his new creed (indoctrination): his mark on his hand, made with the toxic bleach. Now, each time he’ll see it, just like his other scars, he will be remembered of what he agreed to. He’ll remember Tyler’s slogan, and his denigrated place in the world, which he agreed to.
The end scene
— “Tyler, my eyes are open” (Jack regains control of himself)
The most remarkable scene of the movie is, no doubt, the scene on the bank building. The final confrontation between Jack and Tyler.
Tyler has won and stands victorious, waiting to see the buildings collapse. Jack has lost. Everything he ever cared about and his own individuality. He lost.
The ironic part is that in that moment, Tylers’ words ring true the most:
“It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything”
Jack, at his worst moment throughout the movie, realises that he is control. Something changed in him. He wasn’t afraid anymore. He was willing to own his actions. That was the one thing he never did, and in that moment he understood that it was Tylers’ only card, that he played continuously.
Jack wasn’t afraid of death anymore, and wasn’t afraid of life. Of owning his life!
He tells Tyler that “his eyes are open” and shoots himself in the mouth. From that moment Tyler is gone.
The hospital/asylum scene
Although the movie ends with Jack and Marla watching as the buildings collapse, in the book there is an extra scene that elaborates on what happens after that. Jack is in an asylum. Everything is white. He describes it as him being in heaven. He describes his psychiatrist as God. It is an introspective scene inside of Jack’s mind. His world view has changed. He doesn’t see people as being unimportant anymore. He argues on people being “special” and disagrees with what the guy who he paints as being “God” says.
But still, he improved. He feels safe and feels that he is being taken care of. After a life of feeling unsafe and unimportant and constantly trying to find shelter, now he finally has it. Jack said that when Marla calls, he is not going to avoid her anymore.
But still, the one thing that anchors Jack in reality, is Tyler’s footmen, making their presence noticed. Silently waiting for their leader to return.
Conclusion
I like how Jack is a representation of an “everyday guy”, who also suffers of feeling hollow and without purpose. I see the movie as a cautionary tale that each individual should take care of himself/herself and find his/her own purpose. If not for anything else, then at least for developing character and principles so that the individual doesn’t get sidetracked by a vengeful side of him/her (Tyler Durden) and become easily moldable and indoctrinable (like the “space monkeys”).
The point where Jack’s drama started was the revelation that:
“We buy things we don’t need,
with money we don’t have,
to impress people we don’t like”
Jacks’ bad choice was that he didn’t do anything about it, and left his life slip into chaos.
