Consumerism and Symbolism in Fight Club Chuck Palahniuk’s novel Fight Club discusses ideas related to consumerism. A society deeply rooted in consumerism is shown to give people a false sense of self-worth and security, be toxic to humans and the planet, and be an issue that cannot be improved, only destroyed. The theme of consumerism in Palahniuk’s Fight Club is supported and developed through the use of symbols such as place of residence, soap, and cancer. Those who adopt a consumerist culture relate amount of material possessions with level of self-worth and security. Palahniuk specifically focuses on the relation between the state of a living space and the identity of the person who resides in it. The narrator furnished his apartment
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The only way to salvage what consumerism on an exponential scale has destroyed is to destroy the human traits that allowed consumerism to become an integral part of society. This includes materialism, vanity, laziness, and the concept of being special. Tyler believes that because these traits and consumerism have become so deeply ingrained within humanity, simply taking steps to improve is futile, “Recycling and speed limits are bullshit. They're like someone who quits smoking on his deathbed” (Palahniuk 116). He believes humanity needs to start over completely; there are no shortcuts and there is no compromise. To do this, Tyler creates Project Mayhem, a group of people who are perpetually loyal to Tyler and his cause. He enlists them with large-scale pranks at the expense of people with consumer culture embedded in their lives: owners of large corporations, government officials, and consumers themselves. One of Project Mayhem’s first and most meaningful projects are the Paper Street Soap Company. Tyler chose to manufacture soap because "The first soap was made of heroes. ... Without their death, their pain, without their sacrifice … we would have nothing." (Palahniuk 69) In the past, people would be sacrificed by being burned over a river. Some of the human fat would run into the lakewater and, over the years, it mixed with lye to create soap, which people used as a …show more content…
In the literal sense, some form of cancer is present in almost every character, and cancer support groups became vital for the narrator’s peace of mind. Cancer can be seen as a symbol for consumerism, which begs the question, “Which is worse: Hell or nothing?” (Palahniuk 133) Is it worse to suffer through fighting the cancer that is consumerism, or accept that the fate of people and the planet will be nothing if no one fights to make amends? Tyler and the narrator decided that even Hell is better than nothing, which gave rise to Project Mayhem. Ironically, Project Mayhem and Tyler himself also became a symbol for cancer in the novel, “The cancer I don’t have is everywhere now” (Palahniuk 97) by leaving the narrator helpless against his own creation, struggling to save himself and the people around him. In conclusion, Chuck Palahniuk uses symbols such as apartments/houses, soap, and cancer throughout the novel Fight Club to support the theme of consumerism. In the novel, consumerism is shown to breed a false sense of self-worth and security, be a highly toxic element of society, and is seen as an issue that cannot be improved, only destroyed. Fight Club is a persuasive and dynamic novel that resonates vastly with current
The only way to salvage what consumerism on an exponential scale has destroyed is to destroy the human traits that allowed consumerism to become an integral part of society. This includes materialism, vanity, laziness, and the concept of being special. Tyler believes that because these traits and consumerism have become so deeply ingrained within humanity, simply taking steps to improve is futile, “Recycling and speed limits are bullshit. They're like someone who quits smoking on his deathbed” (Palahniuk 116). He believes humanity needs to start over completely; there are no shortcuts and there is no compromise. To do this, Tyler creates Project Mayhem, a group of people who are perpetually loyal to Tyler and his cause. He enlists them with large-scale pranks at the expense of people with consumer culture embedded in their lives: owners of large corporations, government officials, and consumers themselves. One of Project Mayhem’s first and most meaningful projects are the Paper Street Soap Company. Tyler chose to manufacture soap because "The first soap was made of heroes. ... Without their death, their pain, without their sacrifice … we would have nothing." (Palahniuk 69) In the past, people would be sacrificed by being burned over a river. Some of the human fat would run into the lakewater and, over the years, it mixed with lye to create soap, which people used as a …show more content…
In the literal sense, some form of cancer is present in almost every character, and cancer support groups became vital for the narrator’s peace of mind. Cancer can be seen as a symbol for consumerism, which begs the question, “Which is worse: Hell or nothing?” (Palahniuk 133) Is it worse to suffer through fighting the cancer that is consumerism, or accept that the fate of people and the planet will be nothing if no one fights to make amends? Tyler and the narrator decided that even Hell is better than nothing, which gave rise to Project Mayhem. Ironically, Project Mayhem and Tyler himself also became a symbol for cancer in the novel, “The cancer I don’t have is everywhere now” (Palahniuk 97) by leaving the narrator helpless against his own creation, struggling to save himself and the people around him. In conclusion, Chuck Palahniuk uses symbols such as apartments/houses, soap, and cancer throughout the novel Fight Club to support the theme of consumerism. In the novel, consumerism is shown to breed a false sense of self-worth and security, be a highly toxic element of society, and is seen as an issue that cannot be improved, only destroyed. Fight Club is a persuasive and dynamic novel that resonates vastly with current