Why Is a Post-Modern Style Appropriate to Its Themes - Assignment Example

In What Ways Is The Style Of Fight Club Post-Modern, And Why Is A Post-Modern Style Appropriate To Its Themes? “Fight Club” by Chuck Palahniuk (2007) is a novel that has been written using the post-modern styles of writing. The main indicators of the use of the post modern style in the novel are the use of techniques such as paradox, fragmentation and questionable narrators. In the first chapter, the writer uses a questionable narrator to open the story. The narrator states, “Tyler gets me a job as a waiter, after that Tyler is pushing a gun in my mouth and saying, the first step to eternal life is you have to die. For a long time though, Tyler and I were best friends. People are always asking, did I know about Tyler Duren” (Palahniuk 1). The post modern style of writing is a convergence of different forms of critical theory, deconstructionist approaches and particular reader-response strategies. The most important characteristic of post modern literature is the use of neatly tied-up ending. This characteristic is favored by post modern writers because it celebrates chance over craft, in addition to employing meta-fiction in order to undermine the authority of a writer. The novel is post modern because the writer creates an idea and clarifies it before fragmenting the story. The novel is about a character rather than a story. It is written in a manner that shows that it is a sketch about a certain character. In the first chapter, the narrator is counting down the clock and he discusses how to make a bomb with his friend. In the second chapter, the story is fragmented because the narrator appears to be in a group session. The narrator states, “Bob’s big arms were closed around to hold me inside and I was squeezed in the dark between Bob’s new sweating tits that hang enormous” (Palahniuk 4). The author of the novel succeeded in creating a character or idea about the character. He also clarified the character as a person who was experiencing a form of psychological problem. In one instance, the character is talking about his friend Tyler, and how Tyler helped him secure a job as a waiter. The next minute, he is talking about bombs with a gun in his mouth. The fact that he is embracing someone shows that he has started rehabilitation. Since the idea of the film is the character of the narrator, the author did not give the narrator a name. Readers are left with ambiguity particularly with regards to the narrator. Post modernism is also shown in the conditions of the characters and their self involvement. During one of the support groups, the narrator notes, “the only woman here at Remaining Men Together, the testicular cancer support group, this woman smokes her cigarette under the burden of a stranger, and her eyes come together with mine. Faker. Faker. Faker” (Palahniuk 5). The novel provides an explanation of human behavior and nature. This approach relates to post modernism because it outlines the fact that the writer is not only concerned with the thematic conventions, but the contemporary age of the society. The belief that humans are selfish is personified through the actions of the narrator and Marla Singer. The two exploit community support groups, which are meant for terminally ill people. They exploit these groups for their personal and emotional gains. The role of Marla in the novel is intriguing to the reader. However, her relationship with the reader is essential to the story. Marla is introduced in the novel during the support groups. Thereafter, she begins to invade the emotional spaces of the narrator. The novel highlights the behaviors of the two characters based on their exploitation of the groups. They seem to act as crucial resources for the narrator. For instance, the narrator was able to overcome insomnia every time he attended the groups. Additionally, it seemed as if the narrator was using Bob to realize his pain. Post modernism is reinforced in this case because Marla plays a role in the creation of Tyler. At one point Marla began to invade the personal life of the narrator, which led to the mental creation of Tyler. The behaviors of Marla, particularly her fearlessness and freedom resembled the character of Tyler. The behaviors of Tyler are also essential to the development of the story given the fact that the narrator and Tyler is the same person. In this case, Tyler is the character that the narrator would like to become. It is fascinating how the narrator would like to be like Tyler, yet their nature and behavior are different. Although the narrator insists that Tyler is a partner, he did not mention anything about him during the group meetings. In some of the cases, Tyler spoke on behalf of the narrator. For instance, in the hospital, Tyler tells him to say that he fell down the stairs. Most of the times, the narrator watch the actions of Tyler, rather than take control of the situations. “Fight Club” is a novel that rejects elaborate formal aesthetics, but favors minimalist designs. The novel also rejects formal aesthetic theories, but favors spontaneity and discovery in creation. The narrator notes, “You wake up at Air Harbor International. Every takeoff and landing, when the plane banked too much to one side, I prayed for a crash. The moment cures my insomnia with narcolepsy when we might die helpless and packed human tobacco in the fuselage” (Palahniuk 10). The release of the movie was followed by mixed reactions. A number of people were afraid that the movie would influence people because of its spontaneity. The spontaneity that is advanced in the book has been picked up by people. For instance, people in modern societies have rejected books. They have become fanatics of the visual pleasures because they are easy to digest compared to picking up a book and reading the concepts or understanding themes in the book. The actions of people are well reflected in the novel because they have become unpredictable. People live in boredom because they are limited to getting an education and jobs. This has pushed people to an unhappy and monogamous life. This generation of people is focused on entertainment. “Fight Club” does not target a big picture or grand narrative story. The novel’s intention is not to tell one truth, but look at the different theories that can be used to describe the society and the choices of people in life. Mr. Durden says, “we are the all knowing, all seeing crap of the world” (Palahniuk 52). This implies that the generation that has come to occupy the world in the novel is senseless. The generation looks for things that give them sense. Readers of the novel are able to see how the narrator and other characters go about their life. The main problem of the narrator is the inability to sleep and cope with life’s pressures. Other characters do not have a problem sleeping. Their problem is that they live a boring life. As a result, they no longer care about their life or the consequences of their actions. An important aspect of post modern literature is that it acts as a mirror for readers. In this case, a number of readers can relate with the problems faced by these characters. People do not focus on common rules that are followed in a society; instead they intend to challenge the rules in order to remove the boredom associated with the rules. Post modern literature goes against the rules set for the society. A grand post modern narrative influences the rules used by a society for its daily functions. Like other post modern novels, Fight Club challenges the society and its tendencies for consumerism. People have become slaves to brands and companies. As a result of the circle created by consumerism and capitalism, people are pushed into one place. The narrator seeks to break free from this trend. In the novel, the narrator and his gang try to end these trends by deleting debt information from a server. The post modern style used by the author of the novel helps in outlining a number of themes of the novel. In the case of self reflexivity, the narrator is unnamed, which leaves the reader asking questions about his character. The unnamed narrator directly addresses the reader, particularly when he discovered the occupation of Tyler. This approach helps in breaking down the wall that prevents the interaction of readers with the narrator. Additionally, it helps in drawing a reader in the construction of text, which destroys the sense of self-contained verisimilitude. The approach also advances the theme of post modern conditions and self involvement. One of the main concepts of the novel is human behavior and nature. This relates to post modernity because it proves that the author did not focus on thematic conventions, but contemporary trends of a society. Additionally, the approach advances the theory of confusion over space and time. The novel confuses readers through its pivotal twists. For instance, the reader discovers that Tyler does not exist, but he is an alter ego of the narrator’s character. This confuses the chronological order of a reader. The reader is forced to reevaluate the events using a different pace. The post modern approach used by the author of Fight Club plays a crucial role in advancing themes of the novel. The style advances the theme of confusion over time and space, theme of self reflexivity and theme of post modern conditions and self involvement. Most importantly, it provides a platform for the interaction of the reader with the narrator. The novel is post modernist because it is based on the characteristics of post modern literature. The novel rejects the distinctions between low and high or popular cultures. It also rejects formal aesthetics in favor of spontaneity and the discovery of creations. Reference Palahniuk, Chuck. Fight Club: A Novel. Milsons Point, N.S.W: Vintage, 2007. Internet resource. Read More