I rewatched Fight Club this week. Hellavu movie. It’s a great cultural commentary. And surprisingly as relevant as ever.
Guy has abandonment/daddy issues. Father never approved. Never provided him attention. Wasn’t around.
Seeks approval from world/job/others. Subservient to the system. Being a good consumer drone. Trying to fill the void. Fearful. Risk averse. Isolates himself. Has poor intimate relationships. Poor self esteem.
Ends up severely depressed and can’t sleep. Eventually becomes insomniac.
Has a psychological break, and an alter ego emerges that embodies everything he is not.
This alter ego pushes him to confront his fears, and push beyond his comfort zone and boundaries. To break things. To disrupt the system. To challenge convention. To live without fear. Ultimately, the greatest obstacle is his fear of death.
The alter ego takes over and begins destroying all his attachments. Sabotaging all the material and useless things he latched onto. Slowly he begins to lose everything. Home. Job. Vices. The few intimate relationships he had.
The denouement is confronting this alter ego, and embracing death. Staring himself in the face, and accepting that he is not afraid to die. Nay, that he is willing to die. Willing to risk it all to save himself, even if it means risking his life.
Once fear of death is embraced, there is liberation.
The world collapses around him. But he’s found himself. And his ability to have an intimate relationship is restored.
He becomes free.
William Dare 