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Essay / Fight Club: Rebellion against social and cultural constructs
Fight Club is a novel about a protagonist who is unhappy with his life and who unconsciously creates an alter ego who engages in various activities that he had always wanted to do in his life. life. . Written by Chuck Palahniuk, the novel, due to its captivating storyline and profound message, was also produced in a film version directed by David Fincher. Starring renowned movie stars Brad Pitt and Edward Norton, the film contains many thought-provoking scenes that capture the audience's attention. However, despite its efforts to stay true to Palahniuk's message, the film adaptation lacks the authenticity necessary to deliver the main theme of freeing oneself from the burden of social demands and thus achieving personal transformation. The film distorts the true portrayal of the characters from Palahniuk's idea. of an individual in difficulty. Additionally, the film's plot was changed near the end of the film, radically adjusting Palahniuk's main message. In addition, the symbolism of soap, strongly emphasized in the novel, was underestimated by the film by making few references to it. Although the novel and the film depict similar concepts and messages, due to distortions of characters, plot, and symbols, the novel is far superior to the film version. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The novel is better than the film because Tyler's characterization aligns with the central idea of identity crisis. Both in the novel and in the film version, Tyler embodies a character with strong ideologies; However, Tyler is much darker in the novel, while Tyler is more comedic in the film. From Palahniuk's perspective, Tyler is a disturbed, even absurd, individual. Tyler reveals his insanity when he and the narrator intentionally crash the car and make contact with the truck as Tyler recites how God hates us and they can die at any moment, in his precise words he says, When Tyler is comical, it takes away. the seriousness of his character, further distorting the theme of identity crisis. Tyler taunts the audience by saying, “We are consumers. We are the product of a lifestyle obsession. Murder, crime, poverty, these things don't concern me. What concerns me are celebrity magazines, television (...) The public is able to identify with the statement in which, moreover, the ending of the film differs radically from that of the novel, misinterpreting the main message . The end of the novel presents a realistic but not entirely pleasant world. Tyler is in a psychiatric hospital where he thinks he has destroyed his alter ego but in fact he does not know that he has not absorbed Tyler. The novel ends with the narrator hallucinating and believing that Project Mayhem still exists. He hears the voices speaking to him: “We look forward to seeing you again. » The ending suggests a sense of despair whereby the narrator is forever defeated by his alter ego unable to recover from his mental illness. On the other hand, in the film version, Jack absorbs Tyler when he shoots himself to get rid of Tyler, and becomes the dominant personality again. The scene takes place in a building where Project Mayhem plans to blow up several buildings owned by credit card companies. Jack's girlfriend Marla and Jack watch them break down as he tells Marla, "You met me at a very strange time in my life." Jack and Marla are then reunited and the story has a happy ending. The ending of the film distorts the main idea of the loss of identity in..