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A "Fight" For Maculinity

22 Apr 2008
A “Fight” For Masculinity
Movies are one of the greatest entertainment mediums out there today. It seems with more and more creative writers and directors out there movies are so much more than just entertainment; they carry a message with them for us to take away with us and learn something from. Some movies aren’t as obvious about their direct message and I believe one of those movies is Fight Club. Most people view Fight Club as only about pure violence and anarchy, but it is so much more than that. It shows a character growth that is far outside the box, causing you think beyond the movie. Other than the violence and vandalism, Fight Club offers a cultural theory about our society’s emasculating effect because of materialism and consumer culture and highlight character growth.
Fight Club is about an unnamed character, or the “Narrator,” who battles insomnia who describes his life as a “copy of a copy of a copy,” (Fight Club) promoting the idea of his distance from his own life (Source 2). While seeking medical advice to improve his lack of sleep, his doctor says it’s in his head and he just needs to sleep and there are worse conditions out there. The narrator, claiming to be in real pain, is suggested to check out a testicular cancer group to see what real pain is. After taking to the doctor’s advice, he checks out a this help group for people who have testicular cancer and meets Bob, a champion body builder who lost both testicles as a result of steroid usage. This meeting changed his life. Opening up him to cry, and in return be able to sleep. Then be becomes “addicted” to these kinds of support groups, attending them under different names, meeting new people and creating a health sleep habit.
Then, something happens when he finds another “faker” in the same groups by the name of Marla Singer. Her presence, alone, prevents him from crying and yet again, being able to sleep. After confronting her about it, they come to an...