Fight Club
This is an excerpt from the paper...
In David FincherÆs film ôFight Club,ö the protagonist is the ôNarrator,ö a contemporary ôeverymanö who exhibits symptoms of urban loneliness and existential angst in a materialistic and meaningless society. The film descends into violence and brutality, as Durden feels more alive fist fighting other males who also feel emasculated by contemporary culture. In my perception, the filmmaker is attempting to provide a warning to viewers in contemporary society. That warning appears to be that if we do not redefine identity through something more meaningful than materialism or macho notions of masculinity, society will erupt into chaos and violence. We see in the life and work of the Narrator, a man whose job dissatisfies him and, in fact, drives him crazy. His clothes, automobile and condominium are all symbols of modern success as measured by materialism. Despite his relative security and luxurious lifestyle, he is lonely, anxiety ridden, and unhappy. He actually takes to attending 12-step programs, where empathizing with others less fortunate than him enables him to feel some kind of life. The filmmaker seems to suggest that contemporary existence is emasculating for men, a point reinforced by the fact that the first support group meeting he attends is for survivors of testicular cancer. He meets a girl who attends these meetings in a like capacity, what he calls a ôtouristö (Fincher, 1999). ôTouristö is a good word choice because peopl
. . .
the pain, or throwing vinegar on it which will neutralize it. Primarily, ôFight Clubö exists as a way for a ôlost generationö of males to reassert their power, identity and meaning in a materialistic and emasculating culture and society. The pursuit of materialism and the lack of real challenges that define oneÆs identity have led to this need. We see this readily in one scene in the film where Tyler Durden explains to the Narrator why men are so alienated, filled with angst and have no meaning in their lives:
Tyler: Man, I see in fight club the strongest and smartest men whoÆve ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we donÆt need. WeÆre the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great WarÆs a spiritual waràour Great Depression is our lives. WeÆve all been raised on television to believe that one day weÆd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we wonÆt. And weÆre slowly learning that fact. And weÆre very, very pissed off.
(Fincher, 1999)
The ab
. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
Tyler Durden, Depression WarÆs, David FincherÆs, Marla Narrator, ôfight clubö, fincher 1999, violence destruction, tyler durden, Film USA, contemporary society, society film, David Director, world defined own, warning viewers, human spirit, durden explains, feel emasculated, contemporary society culture, ôfight clubö beat,
Approximate Word count = 1391
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
More Essays on Fight Club
|