Fight Club

Gender Studies The central premise of gender studies is that gender is a socially constructed category that is not always aligned with biological sex. Gender traits are those that are deemed appropriate or acceptable by a culture or society. Discuss the presentation of masculinity in Fight Club.

What traits are deemed ideal for males in the novel? What are the men in fight club searching for? What is the significance of this being "a generation of men raised by women" (50)? The gender studies field is composed of a multi-disciplinary approach that tries to look at the roles genders play in cultures from different perspectives.

Many area of interest in this field include perspectives such as in the fields of literature and language, history, political science, sociology, anthropology, cinema and media studies, human development, law, and medicine (The University of Chicago, N.d., p. 1). In the realm of literature, the book Fight Club represents one of the most cited and talked about fiction novels of the late twentieth century. The book contains many philosophical concepts that pertain to gender themes.

The book encompasses a broad range of themes however gender roles set the foundation for the entire plot. The gender roles of the characters in the plot are shown as nearly polar opposites in the beginning and then begin to evolve over time throughout the course of the novel. The novel contains graphic sex, violence, and strong gender roles that support the plot development.

This analysis will look at the themes in the Fight Club plot from a gender studies perspective and see what literature cinematic representations of gender are expressed. Jack, the narrator and main character in the novel, is portraying initially as pretty much being devoid of any real masculinity and exhibiting man feminine characteristics in the beginning of the book. He is prominently interested with the style of furniture in his apartment.

The obsession with decorating in his apartment and the attention given the furniture would be most consistent with the stereotypical female in modern culture that is into consumerism. He is entirely non-violent and passive by nature as well. There is also an element of depression or discontent with the progression of his life that is related to the stereotype and feminine gender. "You buy furniture. You tell yourself, this is the last sofa I will ever need in my life.

Buy the sofa, then for a couple years you're satisfied that no matter what goes wrong, at least you've got your sofa issue handled. Then the right set of dishes. Then the perfect bed. The drapes. The rug. Then you're trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own, now they own you (Palahniuk, 2005, p. 44)." Marla, the leading female character by contrast, is portrayed early on as more masculine.

The characters first meet at a self-help group and are both irritated by the fact that they have learned to fill the same niche. Both Jack and Marla are attending multiple self-help groups on a wide range of different conditions including everything from alcohol to testicular cancer. While Jack initially appears more feminine, this is contrasted with Marla who is entirely masculine. Marla is foul-mouthed, smokes cigarettes, is confrontational, and aggressive.

In the beginning she has more in common with Jack's alter ego than Jack himself as this becomes clear later in the book. Furthermore, the differences between Tyler and Jack certainly provide an example of the poles of masculinity that can be found in male figures. While Jack is feminine and interested in consumerism in the beginning of the film, Tyler, by contrast, is the stereotypical alpha male. He is aggressive, violent, immature, ambitious, and rebellious.

He is also philosophical and all of these qualities combined have led him to attack the mainstream culture on many levels. Tyler perceives that masculinity has all but disappeared in this culture and initiates a corrective action of his own which quickly gathers popular support from the growing Fight Club membership; including Jack. However, as the story progresses, Jack's character quickly becomes more masculine. As his involvement with Tyler and the Fight Club begin to grow, he quickly begins to imitate Tyler's personality.

In the beginning of the film Jack was portrayed as being submissive to Marla. However, as the story progresses, Jack evolves as the aggressor and then Marla becomes more submissive. The changes that occur between Jack and Marla are especially interesting when contrasted to Tyler's. Tyler's personality stays relatively fixed over time, however the two lovers begin to evolve over time. The evolution of the two characters and the dynamics in between them are meant to show.