The Theme of Identity in the Fight Club - Movie Review Example

The theme of identity in the movie, Fight Club Some individuals never feel satisfied by their identity in the mainstream society and undertakethe unending search to recover their identity. On the other side, some others feel satisfied with their identity assigned by the mainstream society. But some people depend upon violence to prove their distinctiveness and this is totally against law. Still, some among them, like the speaker in the movie Fight Club (who face psychological problems), cannot be blamed for their fault because they are the victims of psychological disorders. Thesis statement: The director (David Fincher) makes use of the theme of identity in his movie Fight Club to expose the narrator’s existential quest to regain his lost identity, to unearth the differences between real and non-real worlds, to answer the question of multiple personality, and to reveal the relationship between identity and masculinity. The theme of individuality/identity Identity/individuality and existential quest One can see that the director provides ample importance to the subject matter of identity/individuality and existential quest. To be specific, the main characters make use of existential quest to recover their identities. The protagonist (unnamed) considers that consumerism destroyed his life. But his existential quest helps him to regain his identity in the mainstream society. On the other side, the members of his group (say, Project Mayhem) feel totally ruined by consumerism and materialistic ideology. So, they decide to join the protagonist to regain their identities in the worry ridden world. The female character named as Marla Singer, is not so different because she very well knows that the protagonist can help her to regain her individuality. Still, Tyler Durden tries to hinder the protagonist because he knows that the protagonist’s existential quest will unmask his motive. In short, the director inculcated the subject of identity in his film to prove that the self realization related to existential quest can help an individual to survive in a consumerist society. Identity in the real and illusive worlds In the film, the protagonist is portrayed as the victim of insomnia, which forces him to live in between real and illusive worlds. In the real sense, he is an employee, who possesses a different identity in his imagination. To be specific, the protagonist unknowingly depends upon his illusion to fulfill his criminal instinct. But the protagonist does not realize that he is the victim of his minds eye. In addition, he does not try to flee from his unreal world. The director provides ample importance to the protagonist’s identities in both worlds. To be specific, the director covers up Tyler Durden’s identity because he is the byproduct of the protagonist’s imagination. One can see that the protagonist camouflages within Tyler Durden’s identity to live in an imaginary world. He knows that he cannot regain his real identity in the real world, but under the mask he can regain the same with ease. So, the director makes use of the real and illusory worlds to unveil the protagonist’s effort to regain his identity. Identity and multiple personality The director’s attempt to link the idea of identity with the protagonist’s multiple personality is successful to an extent. To be specific, most of the characters in film are the victims of the social structure in the mainstream consumerist society. Their interest to form a fight club is symbolic of their protest against the materialistic or consumerist society. They know that they are helpless and cannot act according to their own will. On the other side, the protagonist enjoys his multiple personality because he usually visits support groups. Still, the protagonist does not attempt to escape from his fake identity, but unknowingly decides to go along with the same. Another character, named as Marla Singer plays the same game of impersonation. She knows that the protagonist is wearing the mask of multiple personality. But she never tries to hinder him because she is the victim of loss of individuality. The protagonist does not realize that Tyler Durden’s identity is his own personality or his suppressed identity. So, one can see that the protagonist’ multiple personality is the byproduct of his desire to regain his real identity. Identity and maleness In the film, maleness is portrayed as criminal instinct and violence. One can see that mainstream movies portray maleness as the embodiment of violence. This film (Fight Club) is not different because the male characters form a fight club to exhibit their masculinity. From a different angle of view, this can be evaluated as an attempt to portray the violence related to masculinity. David Greven states that, “This is the key way in which Fight Club demonstrates that American culture in the Bush-to-Bush era bears remarkable similarity to its antebellum version: it is still rigorously homosocialized, the sexes, through the maintenance of separate gendered spheres in which people mainly interact with members of their own sex, made alien and mysterious to each other even as same-sex intimacy is institutionalized” (166). One can see that the male personalities hesitate to interact with female personalities because their masculinity hinders them. In the film, the feminine character (Marla) is overshadowed by male characters like the central character and his mask, Tyler Durden. In addition, the sexual attachment between Marla and Tyler cannot be considered as genuine because the protagonist ignores her when she is in trouble. Even the formation of Project Mayhem by the protagonists and others is based on masculinity. In short, masculine identity is utilized by the male characters to regain their identities in the consumerist society. Summing, the subject of identity is inherent in the movie because all the major characters are victimized by lack of individuality. The narrator knows that his identity is lost, and his existential quest must be evaluated as his attempt to regain the same. The director makes use of the characters to portray the differences between real and non-real worlds. The protagonist unknowingly depends upon violence to deal with his dilemma of multiple personality. Besides, the male characters exhibit violence to prove their masculinity, and the same reveals the relationship between identity and masculinity. In short, the inherent subject matter of identity elevates the movie beyond a psychological thriller. Works Cited Greven, David. Manhood in Hollywood from Bush to Bush. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2010. Print. Read More