This film strictly examines the three parts of the human unconscious that have direct affects on the way in which we act. The id, the personality that is present with us from birth, is impulsive, primitive and will do anything to fulfill the needs and wants of the body and mind. Many criminals or bullies are generally driven by their impulsive ids. The ego, which is the part of our personalities that helps us make sense of and deal with reality, sort of gives us a sense of rationalization; it almost keeps the id in check, seeing that we go about fulfilling the needs of the id in sensible, appropriate ways. The last component of personality, the superego, is what's considered our conscience. It helps us decipher right from wrong, and gives us a sense of judgement. The way in which the id, ego and superego relate to this film is that the film examines the unconscious impulses that govern male behavior: the need to fight, the desire to prove themselves and assert their independence from the rest of mainstream society.
Our unnamed protagonist, we realize, is mostly driven by his ego. As said above, he is composed, remains professional at his job and leads a seemingly normal life, until he meets our outrageous, id-driven character, Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt). He encounters Tyler Durden one evening while on an airplane. The two converse and we learn a little more about Tyler: he is a maker and seller of bar soap (not super crazy), but is also cryptic, witty and mysterious. Our main character is intrigued by Tyler, he finds him rather fascinating, and they exchange numbers. After his flight home, our character returns to find that his condo has been caught on fire and burnt down. With nowhere to go, he remembers Tyler, gives him a call, and the two meet up outback of a local bar. After Tyler offers our protagonist a place to stay at his home, we are introduced the filthy, dilapidated conditions of his house, which happens to be located in the middle of nowhere. The house is large, dingy and we can obviously tell that little care is taken, which is not surprising due to Tyler's carefree,"I don't give a damn" nature. It is at this house that Tyler and our main character form the ever-famous Fight Club
With Fight Club comes an important message that Tyler wishes to advocate to the club's members, and especially our main character. The message is to not conform to the mainstream society, break away from normality, be original and independent. The funny thing is, in the attempt to promote originality and independence, the members of this club end up following, depending on Tyler's words and actions. Aside from the fact that the message trying to be portrayed in this film is completely contradicted by the turnout of the club, I must say I agree with Roger Ebert's Fight Club article, and his idea that the gratuitous violence of the film completely overshadows any profound meaning the film might have had. The club offers nothing to its members but a series of senselessly violent, impulsive acts that disrupt society. But of course, what's to expect from a club called "Fight Club"?
It can be said that Fight Club itself represents our main character's own internal fight within his own mind. How? Because we see him change drastically from this clean-cut office worker to this bestial monster who begins to get enjoyment out of beating the crap out of other people. He and Tyler become one in the same, so much so, that it is uncanny just how alike they are... As said above, our main character, who was once ego-driven, turns into this extreme id-driven person. That is exactly the struggle he is facing: the balance between his id and his ego. Throughout the film, we really don't see any presence of the superego, which would explain why Edward Norton's character has such a difficult time drawing the line between right and wrong, rational and irrational. Although difficult to derive from the endless chaos of the film, it is clear that the "fight" in Fight Club is not about fighting others, it's about fighting yourself
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