History Literature / FightClub

[[caption-width-right:240:[-With insomnia, nothing's real. ... Everything's a copy of a copy of a copy.-] ]]

* RuleAbidingRebe: This is a major component of the satire. Project Mayhem, Tyler Durden's hyper-macho, anti-consumerist revolutionary group, is ultimately founded on the very same philosophical base as the culture that they think they overthrowing, buying into the same idealized vision of masculinity that they got from pop culture and society. They're not rebelling so much as they are lashing out mindlessly, still trying to get a perfect life as "real men", only through fighting and terrorism instead of consumerism.

* BlackComedy

* DarkMessiah: Tyler.

* [[EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys Everything's Better with Space Monkeys]]
* EvilFeelsGood

* FightClubbing: The TropeNamer.

* HowWeGotHere:

* ImNotAfraidOfYou
* ImaginaryFriend

* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: One interpretation of the third act of both film and book.

* MadeOfIron: Lots of characters, but particularly Tyler.

* ManipulativeBastard: Tyler.

* MemeticMutation: The much referenced and parodied "The first rule of fight club..." line, as well as "You are not a unique and beautiful snowflake..." Played darkly with in the InUniverse example, "His name is Robert Paulson", when the Narrator first realizes that no matter how much he tries, any members of Project Mayhem not present at the birth of a rule will just become the MisaimedFandom of the ''mutated'' meaning.
** "On a long enough timeline, the ______ drops to zero." Often used in regards to music quality of bands who start out good but degrade as new albums are released.

* MissingTime

* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown:
** The "fights" in the film are usually sloppy brawls or lopsided beat-downs, particularly the Narrator vs Angel Face, and Tyler vs the Narrator.
* NoNameGiven: The Narrator. Brilliant subversion, actually.

* RedOniBlueOni: Tyler is impulsive and rash, whereas the Narrator is a calm and cool corporate executive. Their different personalities are, of course, all mixed-up in the heat of the fight, and then we find out that [[spoiler:they're actually NotSoDifferent.]]

* ScrewYourself: [[spoiler:HoYay between Tyler Durden and the Narrator is something akin to this.]]

* SenseiForScoundrels: The trope was originally titled TheTylerDurden, which still exists as a redirect.

* TomatoInTheMirror: A classic example.
* {{Trickster}}: Tyler.

* TheUnfettered: Tyler Durden
* UnreliableNarrator

** There really was a series of articles titled "I Am Joe's [ORGAN_NAME]" (with "Jane" stepping in for some of the lady parts) put out by ''Reader's Digest'' in the 1960s. They can be found [[https://archive.org/stream/IAmJoesBody-J.D.Ratcliffe/joebody_djvu.txt here]].

** There really was a series of articles titled "I Am Joe's [X]" (with "Jane" stepping in for some of the lady parts) put out by ''Reader's Digest'' in the 1960s. They can be found [[https://archive.org/stream/IAmJoesBody-J.D.Ratcliffe/joebody_djvu.txt here]].

** There really was a series of articles titled "I Am Joe's [X]" put out by ''Reader's Digest'' in the late 1960s. They can be found [[https://archive.org/stream/IAmJoesBody-J.D.Ratcliffe/joebody_djvu.txt here]].

* RealitySubtext: Palahniuk was wrestling with his sexuality at the time of writing, and came out as gay shortly after the novel's publication.

* GainaxEnding: In the prologue to the graphic novel sequel to the book, [[spoiler:most, if not all, of the ending is implied to have been just the Narrator's own hallucinations while in the mental institution. A variant of the book's undeniably happened, except with Marla giving a more definite declaration of affection and onset of pregnancy, but the confrontation with Tyler is framed through both electro-shock therapy and the actual shot through the cheek.]]

* SpiritualSuccessor: To {{Heathers}}.

* TechnologyMarchesOn: A few minor examples:
** Tyler asks the narrator to photocopy the rules of Fight Club on the copier in his office, rather than simply asking him to type them out and print them.
** One of Project Mayhem's pranks involves them pouring petrol into the tube of a CRT monitor so that it explodes when turned on - when's the last time you saw one of those?
** The narrator writes haikus and faxes them to everyone in his office. This was changed to e-mail in the film.

* RevisedEnding: In the book, [[spoiler:The protagonist tries to destroy one building, but fails when Tyler botches the explosive mixture (the botching of which is foreshadowed in the book's opening chapter.) The Narrator ends up in a place he describes as being Heaven, but is really a mental institution, and some of its wardens are members of Project Mayhem, convinced that Tyler some day will return from the depths of the Narrator's mind and are patiently waiting for it. It's also stated outright (instead of suggested in the film) that the mental split happened the moment the Narartor fell in love with Marla; the Tyler psyche loved her while his regular psyche hated her.]] In the movie, [[spoiler:the Narrator manages to regain his sanity, eleven buildings are destroyed by Tyler's explosives, and the Narrator and Marla hold hands while watching in awe. [[FreezeFrameBonus Big black cock]], roll credits.]] Creator/ChuckPalahniuk likes the movie's ending more than his.
** In the prologue to the graphic novel sequel to the book, [[spoiler:most, if not all, of the ending is implied to have been just the Narrator's own hallucinations while in the mental institution. A variant of the book's undeniably happened, except with Marla giving a more definite declaration of affection and onset of pregnancy, but the confrontation with Tyler is framed through both electro-shock therapy and the actual shot through the cheek.]]

* DoNotDoThisCoolThing: The story is supposed to show how awful and self-destructive Fight Club, Project Mayhem and basically anything at all to do with Tyler Durden is, but some fans instead think it's glorifying violence and Tyler is living the life they all want to live, to the point where some people are [[CompletelyMissingThePoint setting up Fight Clubs.]]
** Alternatively, the story is supposed to mock both ways. It's meant to scorn the normal corporate suburban life and how people need to learn to let go a little more, but also show the dangers of living completely like someone like Tyler. Both the book and the movie show that you can and need to find a balance, and not become a person solely focused on their appearance, money, and job, but not become a self-destructive nihilistic nut like Tyler.\\
Project Mayhem was an exaggerated version of the very real [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cacophony_Society Cacophony Society]], which the author was a member of. The Cacophony Society was formed out of a group known as the Suicide Club ([[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything though they did not actually commit suicide]]) and is more or less the {{evil twin}} of Creator/ImprovEverywhere, where they play pranks to make people unhappy rather than happy.

* BitchTits: TropeNamer. Robert "Big Bob" Paulson got testicular cancer due to a history of steroid abuse. As a result of the cancer he had his testicles removed, and due to a hormone imbalance he later developed gynecomastia, earning him the nickname "bitch tits" by the narrator.

** In the prologue to the graphic novel sequel to the book, [[spoiler:most, if not all, of the ending is implied to have been just the Narrator's own hallucinations while in the mental institution. A variant of the book's is hinted to have happened, except with Marla giving a more definite declaration of affection and onset of pregnancy, but the confrontation with Tyler is framed through electro-shock therapy.]]

** In the prologue to the graphic novel sequel to the book, [[spoiler:most, if not all, of the ending is the Narrator's implied to have been just his own hallucinations while in the mental institution. A variant of the book's is implied to have happened, except with Marla giving a more definite declaration of affection and onset of pregnancy, but the confrontation with Tyler is framed through electro-shock therapy.]]

A graphic novel sequel was announced for a 2015 release.

* [[spoiler:TomatoInTheMirror]]: A classic example.

* [[spoiler: UnreliableNarrator]]

* [[spoiler:ImaginaryFriend]]
* [[spoiler:JekyllAndHyde: The big twist of the story.]]

In other news, [[http://chuckpalahniuk.net/news/chuck-palahniuk-announces-a-graphic-novel-sequel-to-fight-club it seems Project Mayhem wasn't quite finished, and will continue next year]]...

''Fight Club'' is a 1996 novel by Creator/ChuckPalahniuk. It revolves around an unnamed insomniac narrator who works a blue-collar job. The narrator becomes addicted to feigning illness at certain support groups in order to get himself to sleep, but eventually becomes obsessively plagued by an apathetic woman named Marla who he sees at various support groups, finally connecting with her at a support group for people with testicular cancer. The narrator eventually meets Tyler Durden, who starts a Fight Club where men alleviate their stress through fighting; as the club goes larger and its acts more heinous, the narrator is forced to confront Tyler, who reveals his true identity...