by Jordan Baker

Created on: November 03, 2009   Last Updated: January 29, 2010

Fight Club is a film that conveys a powerful message about the worth of man and his decline in society as times have progressed. It follows the life of the narrator, who remains nameless, as he struggles with insomnia and feelings of inadequacy as he searches to find meaning in his own life. The movie, although controversial, reveals issues in modern society by showing the development of the narrator through his friendship with Tyler Durden, a man of influence and power who possesses all of the qualities the narrator lacks. Their friendship parallels the opposite ends of the spectrum of society and its corruption as the film ultimately reveals the split personality of the narrator himself, who is in fact Tyler Durden. 

In the very beginning, the film conveys a feeling of sympathy for the Narrator. With dim and gloomy lighting, the movie consists of scenes showing the day-to-day life of the Narrator as he simply goes through the motions. The scenes give the audience an idea of how miserable and exhausting this mans life has become. He is the perfect example of someone drained by the pressures of society, living in an apartment that owns him more than he owns it, and searching for an outlet to escape the feminized culture that he along with many other men have become a part of. The beginning of the film focuses in on the Narrators struggle with insomnia. He makes an appointment to see a doctor about sleeping pills; however, he refuses to prescribe them. But I'm in pain, he says to which the doctor replies, If you want to see pain go to the testicular cancer support group - that's pain. The Narrator then proceeds to go to the testicular cancer support group and pretends to have the disease himself. After opening up to the group and crying with them he realizes that this is the only thing that helps him sleep at night. The scenes at the support group reiterate the films message of weakness. Each man shares a story of how their wives left them, or they lost their job, or how in some way they all feel inadequate. The Narrator goes on to join many other support groups, each meeting a different day of the week, in order for him to sleep each night.

As the Narrator continues to go to the support groups, he notices that he may not be the only one faking it. A woman named Marla Singer attends the same support groups that he does, and he finds that when she is there he is unable to cry, and hence unable to sleep. Marla Singer is a threat to The Narrator, and her

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