Fight Club Vs. Theology

The movie, Fight Club, has many themes dealing with some of the class-discussed vocabulary. Through a scene by scene, and dialogue-based analysis of the movie, I have found that these themes are emphasized through discussions, interactions, and non-dialogue scenes between the main character, his imaginary sidekick and the society that has had such effect on the main character. Some of these themes or topics that are shared by both the movie and the class vocabulary appear randomly, sporadically, and repeatedly throughout the movie. Most of the scenes have mainly to do with the materialism in their society and its limits on the freedom, which the characters are trying to obtain. Others deal with how they, the movie's characters, feel a sense of alienation and this alienation distorts relationships developing due to their self-determination. There is also how family interactions help to shape our development on our vertical and horizontal relationships. Then finally, hedonism and how it affects the way we treat each other and how we interact within society.

All the characters in the movie deal with and dissect these themes, in all that they say and how they react to the main characters disillusionment with his life; although the main characters are mostly the ones bringing the themes to the forefront of the movie. This any man, main character dislikes his life, even to the point that he is unable to sleep. He is disillusioned with his life, unhappy and does not understand why. And in order to feel anything he has to make a lot of bad choices to under go a life transformation. This transformation originates through his interactions and dealings with Tyler Durden, his alter ego and his imaginary friend. The main character remains without a name until in the end you, as the movie watcher, are lead to realize that he (the main character) and Tyler are one in the same, almost on the level of the Trinity. However he goes without a real name because he is supposed to represent how he could and is Any Man, anybody, and everybody. But after he, Any Man, has made all these bad choices he has to run around and try to undo all the horror he has wrought. Any Man started Fight Club, which matured into Project Mayhem, which then ultimately resulted in the collapse of the institution of their society. In many ways this movie is an extreme moral movie, with the battle between good and evil within a person continually going on. Even though, in the end the bad guy dies, it is only the good guy's sense of the bad guy that is killed. The bad guy never really existed to kill off. However you are left to believe that he, the good guy/bad guy, gets away with blowing up the buildings. Of course the movie is really about the causes of violence and is in fact anti-violence, although it acknowledges those impulses in human nature.

When the Any Man says, "Losing all hope was freedom," he is referring to the alienation from the world that he felt in his life, his disillusionment. He, this Any Man, felt his life was so devoid of anything worthwhile that he distanced himself from the world. His alienation from his society lead to his materialism, and his obsessions with decorating his apartment, making it complete. Which kept him from the freedom of living a fulfilling life, being truly alive. Once his apartment is blown up and all of his possessions are lost, and he mourns greatly because his possessions were to him, his life, and his proof that he exists. He begins to understand that he truly doesn't need his belongings through his transformation thanks to Tyler. He doesn't need these things to be free to live his life the way he really wanted to.

He meets this woman, Marla, who has the same general outlook on life; she hates hers too. At first he displays a dislike for her. Then we later realize that she was a positive influence on his progress in his transformation. Marla states her opinion, in one of the first scenes where she is introduced to the audience, that people and society are almost pure self-determined, "When people think your dying they really really listen to you… instead of waiting for their turn to speak." People are so self-concerned and self absorbed that they don't really open up to others, this only comes when they believe they are going to die. This becomes ever so evident in the end of the movie when the Any Man realizes that he and Tyler Durden are sharing experiences. Even though she thinks that there is no purpose or meaning to life there is that inherent uncertainty or fear that she could be wrong. The fact that there could be a God or a final end that her actions could be accountable too, is why she doesn't take her own life. Fear drives them, both Any Man and Marla, from crossing the ultimate line.

The movie goes on further to explain the point that hedonism is present in all walks of