TITLE:
“Fight Club”: Symptomatic Analysis
AUTHORS:
Colin K. Touhy
KEYWORDS:
Consumerism, Conformity, Self-Identity, Commentary, Social, Individual, Masculinity, Formal Elements, Ideological, Emasculation, Purpose, Overall, Arguments, Fight, Film, Generation, Dissociation, Power, Impact, Lifestyle, Jack, Tyler, Elements, Corporate, Sense
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.12 No.2,
February
6,
2024
ABSTRACT: This manuscript synthesizes the film “Fight Club”. This film is a 1999 drama that follows “Jack” (also referred to as the narrator) and his
alter-ego, Tyler Durden. This peculiar individual establishes a “fight club” as
a rebellious response to the sociocultural elements of the time. The paper
argues that the film critiques the cultural structure of contemporary society,
specifically the predominant corporatism in America. This particular topic was
chosen because of the belief that the arguments within the film are undeniably
pertinent to modern-day social realities. The film, though 25 years old, still
provides arguments regarding the corporate structure that continues to be
applicable presently. The paper delves into both the formal and, most notably,
the symptomatic elements of the film (symptomatic meaning the social and
historical commentary that is conveyed throughout the narrative). The paper
emphasizes how they contribute to the central commentary of the film, which
illustrates the dire impact consumerism and conformity have upon an individual’s
overall self-identity and masculinity. It is divided into six separate
sections, three of which include the intro, a review of the references
utilized, and the conclusion. The rest includes the formal elements of the film
that contribute to the film’s meaning at large. The formal elements are
partitioned into sections, with one particular formal element representing a given
section. Within these sections, the paper will explain exactly how the specific
formal element contributes to the ideological commentary persistent throughout
the film.