Flight Club
Isolation
Jack's insomnia and lack of satisfaction in his life stem largely from his isolation. Never does he mention any friends in his voice-over, nor do we meet any. Jack has to attend support group meetings just to experience a human connection. He longs for a place where his feelings can be expressed openly, even if they are dark or sad in nature. He seeks a truth that he is not finding in his job or his day-to-day life.
Like Jack, Marla Singer suffers the same isolation. She doesn't appear to have anybody in her life who is concerned for her. She demonstrates that this isolation doesn't pertain simply to men in society, but to all. Unlike Jack, Marla embraces this reality for what it is. She is poor, living in poverty. She can't turn to a life of consumption to escape her reality because she cannot afford it. Her openness makes Jack uncomfortable. It's like looking into a mirror.
Emasculation
Fight Club presents the argument that men in today's society have been reduced to a generation that does nothing itself, but has become anesthetized with watching others do something instead. Masculinity becomes a brand, a means to sell products to men. "Being a man" then becomes owning the right watch or car instead of knowing who you are and what your values really are.
As a result Jack, Tyler, and the other members of Fight Club reject this spoon-fed approach to living and try to find themselves. By putting themselves through the experience of fighting and facing fear and pain, they hope to strip away the unnecessary and discover their true selves.
Consumer Culture
The film repeatedly critiques the values espoused by advertising: youth, beauty, power, and wealth. Tyler's philosophy contends that people work jobs that they don't enjoy to keep up the appearance of a life that "has it all." In reality these people are deeply unhappy, not simply because this lifestyle does not sustain them in a spiritual sense, but because they don't feel like they can talk to
Jack's insomnia and lack of satisfaction in his life stem largely from his isolation. Never does he mention any friends in his voice-over, nor do we meet any. Jack has to attend support group meetings just to experience a human connection. He longs for a place where his feelings can be expressed openly, even if they are dark or sad in nature. He seeks a truth that he is not finding in his job or his day-to-day life.
Like Jack, Marla Singer suffers the same isolation. She doesn't appear to have anybody in her life who is concerned for her. She demonstrates that this isolation doesn't pertain simply to men in society, but to all. Unlike Jack, Marla embraces this reality for what it is. She is poor, living in poverty. She can't turn to a life of consumption to escape her reality because she cannot afford it. Her openness makes Jack uncomfortable. It's like looking into a mirror.
Emasculation
Fight Club presents the argument that men in today's society have been reduced to a generation that does nothing itself, but has become anesthetized with watching others do something instead. Masculinity becomes a brand, a means to sell products to men. "Being a man" then becomes owning the right watch or car instead of knowing who you are and what your values really are.
As a result Jack, Tyler, and the other members of Fight Club reject this spoon-fed approach to living and try to find themselves. By putting themselves through the experience of fighting and facing fear and pain, they hope to strip away the unnecessary and discover their true selves.
Consumer Culture
The film repeatedly critiques the values espoused by advertising: youth, beauty, power, and wealth. Tyler's philosophy contends that people work jobs that they don't enjoy to keep up the appearance of a life that "has it all." In reality these people are deeply unhappy, not simply because this lifestyle does not sustain them in a spiritual sense, but because they don't feel like they can talk to