Independent Reading Response Fight ClubChuck PalahniukIndependent Reading Response Fight ClubChuck Palahniuk
The novel was intentionally confusing and hard to follow due to its nonlinear structure. It was thoroughly enjoyable and upon completion it generated many questions in my mind, as well as thoughts of my own life and the decisions I make. Fight Club excited me, scared me and even angered me. These emotions were not negative, simply pure and raw. The scenes of fighting and mayhem caused me to become angry and excite, while the interaction between Tyler Durden and the main protagonist (he has no name in the novel) caused me to think about my life and my own social position in it. The main protagonist is a insomniac, who works a fairly average job as a car wreck analyst for a major motor company. He needs a release which he initially discovers in clinics for those with physical and mental disorders. He meets Marla Singer through these clinics and finds that she can be no part of them if they can still be successful in helping him. It is at this point he meets Tyler Durden, a film projectionist, waiter, and owner of a small soap company, The Paper Street Soap Company. The protagonist loses his apartment in an explosion and moves in w/ Tyler. Together they form Fight Club, a s . . .
The novel climaxes when the protagonist realizes that he himself is Tyler Durden, that he as split personalities. One scene would jump to the next without notice and hold no real connection to the previous scene. Visual Images: The most image intensive scene was when Tyler kissed the protagonist’s hand and poured lye on it to produce a chemical burn. It was unlike any other book I have read in its literary structure, but in many ways the content was the same. Judgment of importance: The most important word would be sacrifice. I was very pacifistic and now I would if I should have taken a stand more often. The level of mischief increases, the number of members sky rockets, and Tyler becomes a god. To fit hand in hand the most important idea is that of sacrifice and giving up our mental state and physical possessions. Associations: The book reminds me of my lack to which I challenged others as a young child. Tyler continued with a instense monologue describing his feelings on ultimate freedom from our consumer driven society. It dealt with the ideas of our consumer driven society and the oppression the everyday blue collar worker faces. Identification of problems: There didn’t seem to be any words in the text that confused me. I soon began to connect the characters suffering to events in my life and I realized how something so basic could help these men. Selection of textual elements: As the book progressed I was drawn into the surprising idea that something as simple and primal as fighting could be such a release for the men in Fight Club. Fight Club challenges you to question yourself and get involved.
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