Fight Club And Mens Right Movement

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Fight club and men’s right movement

Fight club is a novel written by Chuck Palahniuk in 1996. The story line is about a man the

narrator, who is uncomfortable with the current situation he is in and tries to fight his problems

by being another man named Tyler, who is comfortable and happy with the life he is living. In

the process he forms a fighting club where members fight each other as a means of facing their

reality and masculinity. The novel is said to be campaigning against men especially where the

narrator beats Angel Face and destroys his beauty due to his jealousy (Friday & Krister, 54). In

the novel, Tyler is seen forming a movement in a secret society known as Project Mayhem which

is an anti-consumer campaign and through it, does unthinkable things such as stealing from the

society.

Men’s right movement on the other hand, is a movement that branched off from men’s

liberation movement in 1970. The movement is an anti-feminist movement that tends to advocate

for men’s rights in the society and they focus on social issues that men feel they are

discriminated upon such as parenting, circumcision, government issues, family law and domestic

violence (Friday & Krister, 67). The movement have evolved into sub-movements that advocates

for specific social issues in the society such as the father’s right movement.

Fight club novel relates to men’s right movement in a number of ways that include; formation

of a movement that is against consumerism. Consumerism is a situation where the society or men

act in a manner the society has molded them into or a manner the society expects them to behave

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(Layton & Lynne, 112). In the novel, Tyler forms a movement which conduct certain brutal

activities and is responsible for the death of several people in the society. The movement behaves

in a rebellious manner and does things that are against the societal way. By doing so, they

accomplish their urge of doing what they like and what they are comfortable with. The men’s

right movement on the other side, tends to advocate for policies that comforts them and meets

their needs and are not provided for by the society (González & Cristina, 10). Men going their

own way (MGTOW) is a movement that also tries to advocate for men’s rights in the society.

The members of MGTOW thinks that the novel is their only redemption or savior in the society.

Just like Tyler did not involve himself in serious relationship with Marler, the group members

also tend to uphold the character’s behavior and they do not engage in a committing relationship

with women.

The members of men’s rights movement formed their groups under the influence of the novel

and they claimed to be programming themselves in a different manner as they were tired of their

current situations and circumstances just like the narrator did when in the subconscious or spirit

of Tyler.

Certain rules such as not sharing the information of Project Mayhem to anyone has been

borrowed by the men’s right activists in their movements (Tuss & Alex, 92). For instance, the

red pill subreddit have a policy that requires its members to be secretive of the groups’ activities

and the information should only be shared among the members and not to any outsider.

The novel and the men’s rights movement share certain concerns for men and boys. These

concerns include the hard life men goes through when coping up with societal way of behaving.

For instance, in the book, the narrator had acquired insomnia as a result of too much work and

travel he was doing to earn a living (Nugroho & Adityo, 14). The narrator therefore, had to

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pretend in a support group to listen or learn other people’ challenges to be cured. In the process

of healing, he meets a lady who makes him feel worthless and at the end meets Tyler whom

together, they form a fight club where they forget their worries and realities and put their

masculinity in practice. The men’s rights movements on the other hand, tends to show the

difficulties they go through to survive in a society that do not appreciate their masculinity, a

society that only advocates for women.

The novel also tends to find a solution for the hardship men goes through. Their solution

being fighting the problem thus the formation of a fighting club and engaging in violent activities

such as stealing and bombing (Tuss & Alex, 94). The men’s rights movements also seek for

attention or appreciation by forming their groups that have a common agenda. The agenda being

heard and their needs being considered by the feminine society.

The novel advocates against consumerism. This is a campaign against observing every rule in

the society and it encourages men to be rebellious (González & Cristina, 63). For instance, Tyler

started making homemade bombs that were used to attack the society. He also led a life of

stealing from people and sabotaging companies. The MRM members have also formed groups

that are against the law and they do whatever pleases them for example, the men going their own

way members. These men have perpetuated hatred in them and treats women with no respect.

For instance, they use them and dump them.

Men’s right movement have been accused to be misogynistic in nature by some studies such

as the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and other professors from different countries and

universities. The men’s right movement have been said to be protesting with a view of male

supremacy. The novel has also been accused by some feminists to be exhibiting misogynistic

features by having one female character by the name Marla in the whole book (Tuss & Alex, 98).

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According to me, the book has shown traces of masculinity but instead have not appreciated the

role of a woman in the society. For instance, the narrator is said to be hating the relationship

Tyler have been having with Marla and at the same time he admired the life Tyler lived, he is not

being truthful and appreciative for he also wanted to be in a relationship with Marla. Marla is

also not made aware of the things happening for example, she was not aware of the fight club

created by his boyfriend yet, in the current environment, men are supposed to be informing their

partners of any activity they are doing or involved in which was not the case. Another fact that

shows the book was more of hatred towards women is the roleplayed by the lady. The role Marla

played was not key in the novel and her role insinuated that ladies are fakers or liars as she

visited support group under pretense.

The novel is also said to be misogynistic because it portrays traits of rebellion against the

society. This is because Tyler is seen to have made some homemade bombs that were to be used

to blow a skyscraper which is against the societal laws. Citizens are not allowed or authorized to

make bombs. This is because bombs are known to be dangerous and if citizens are authorized to

manufacture them, then the society would be full of crimes and threats from all over (González

& Cristina,114). Moreover, the citizens making bombs would feel like they are above the law

and can do whatever they feel like and whenever they feel like. Authorization of bomb making

by the citizens would again lead to a poor administration by the government. Just like in the

book, Taylor controlled everyone in his group. For instance, they were not allowed to question

the command, they were not to lie, they were not bringing or have excuses and above all, they

had to have trust in their commander Tyler. If people like Tyler are in the society, then a lot of

people would suffer and die and no government policy would be able to help such a society. It is

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therefore necessary for any government to regulate and eliminate the emergence of such a people

in the society when need arises.

The novel also puts it clear that the narrator upon visiting a support group begins to feel better

until the moment she meets Marla. The novel therefore, tries to put across a fact that with women

around, problems cannot be solved which is a negative attitude towards femininity (Friday &

Krister, 84).

The novel can also be said to be exhibiting misogynistic features because Marla is used by

Tyler as a source of income. For instance, Marla collects human fats and brings them to Tyler

which he uses to make soap and sells them at a cost and does not share the profit with her. He

also uses the human fat to make his homemade bombs and still does not make her aware.

From the novel we learn a lot of things from men. We learn that men wish to be in control of

everything by being in authority (Layton & Lynne, 7). For example, Tylor asks his group

members not to question him and not to have excuses but to trust him. This only shows the urge

of men of being a supreme being and that explains why they tend to be anti-feminists because

they think that women are taking their roles and place. We also see Tylor destroying himself just

to be in possession of physical power.

We also learn that men are their own enemies (Nugroho & Adityo, 74). For example, Tylor

beats up Angel Face due to jealousy during a fighting session with a motive of destroying his

beauty as he was regarded to be the most beautiful person. The narrator is also seen fighting with

himself when he admires to be someone, he is not instead of accepting and loving himself the

way he is and with all his weaknesses. He is seen leading a life that is not his and when he

realizes it at the end, he kills himself. The novel also states that the narrator destroys his own

condo when in the subconscious of Tyler. It is also seen in the novel that men are their own

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enemies when the narrator declares that he is breaking his attachment to possession and power as

they only make him destroy himself when trying to discover the power of his spirit.

We also learn that men are attention seekers and whatever rebellious activity they engaged in, its

aim is to seek for attention (Layton & Lynne, 108). For instance, in the novel, the mechanic

advised Tylor to burn the largest historic monument and art museum in Paris, louvre and use

Mona Lisa to wipe his ass for them to gain God’s attention claiming that by doing so, God would

know their name.

We also learn that men have idols or role models. In the book, we see the narrator wishing to be

Tylor and complimenting him stating that Tyler is smart, nerve, funny, independent, free and

courageous which he is not. He therefore, wishes to live the life Tyler is living and when

introduced to him in his subconscious, he does the same things.

We also learn that men have conscious and in as much as they are involved in negative

actives, they still find the urge to be a better person (Friday & Krister, 9). For instance, in the

novel, the narrator turns against Tyler when his friend Bob dies when conducting an assignment

for the group, Project Mayhem. The two collides when one wanted the matter to be treated with

urgency like a trivial matter and the other wanted the issue to be treated as a tragedy. This

showed that men are also concerned about each other.

We also learn that men fight to solve their problems. The novel states that Tylor and the

narrator establishes a fighting club where men with the same temperaments would go and have a

bare-knuckle match.

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Works cited

Friday, Krister. "" A Generation of Men Without History": Fight Club, Masculinity, and the

Historical Symptom." Postmodern Culture 13.3 (2003).

González, Cristina Garrigós. "Chuck Palahniuk: Fight Club. Invisible Monsters. Choke. Ed. F.

Collado." (2018).

Layton, Lynne. "Something to do with a girl named Marla Singer: Capitalism, narcissism, and

therapeutic discourse in David Fincher’s Fight Club." Narcissism, Melancholia and the

Subject of Community. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2017. 91-117.

Nugroho, Adityo Widhi. Book Review of Fight Club Written By Chuck Palahniuk. Diss.

Diponegoro University, 2016.

Tuss, Alex. "Masculine identity and success: a critical analysis of Patricia Highsmith's The

talented Mr. Ripley and Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club." JOURNAL OF MENS

STUDIES 12 (2004): 93-102.

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