Analysis of a Scene

In this scene, Tyler pours flaked lye on the main character's hand, which causes a chemical burn. While he is squirming and screaming, Tyler is calmly explaining to him that "It will hurt more than you've ever been burned, and you will have a scar". The main character tries to use his meditation skills that he learned in his counseling groups, but Tyler tries to slap him out of it and make him experience the pain. Tyler wants him to know, not fear, that some day he is going to die. We think that this is a crucial scene in the movie because Tyler has brought the main character "one step closer to hitting rock bottom". Tyler is trying to make him let go of all his fear and not worry about living on the edge. The main character may hate Tyler in the moment, but he is doing it to help him. At the begining of the movie, we are introduced to the main character as someone who has all of the material things he could ever want. He appears to have a good job and his life put together. His only problem seems to be his insomnia. Since he can't ever sleep, he just kind of goes through every day doing what he has to do to get by. He has everything on the outside, but absolutely nothing on the inside. He is introduced to Tyler Durden for a reason, although he doesn't know that reason until later. Tyler lives on the edge all of the time. He breaks the law, lives in a completely run down house, and treats people like they don't matter. The reason he makes the main character do all the crazy stuff he does, is because he is trying to eliminate his fear. Tyler doesn't want him to go on through his life hating it. He tries every day to get him closer to hitting rock bottom. The point of hitting rock bottom is so that he has experienced the worst and he can learn to appreciate the good things in life, and also so that he is not afraid of anything, so he can not be controlled by anyone.

About David Fincher

David Fincher was born on August 28, 1962 in Denver, Colorado. In is childhood, he moved two times. Once to California, and once to Oregon. He became interested in movies as a kid, and started to make them at age eight. He graduated from Ashland High School, but didn't attend film school. He got a job loading cameras and doing other work for Korty Films. In 1983, he was hired by Industrial Light and Magic. There, he worked on movies such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones. What really brought him into the public eye was his commercial, in 1984, for the American Cancer Society. He quit his job at Industrial Light and Magic and was found by producers in Los Angeles. Later in his life, he began working with music videos and directed many promos.

Fight Club Characters

Edward Norton...The main character
Brad Pitt...Tyler Durden
Helena Bonham Carter...Marla
Meat Loaf...Bob
Zach Grenier...Richard Chesler (Main character's boss)

Film Information

Directed by: David Fincher
Produced by: Art Linson, Cean Chaffin, and Ross Grayson Bell
Released on: October 15, 1999

Fight Club Plot Summary

At the beginning of Fight Club, we are introduced to the main character. We learn all about his life, including his main problem with insomnia, but he remains nameless. He begins going to counseling groups as something to do, and then realizes that when he breaks down and cries, he is able to sleep. He notices that there is this girl who comes to all of the counseling groups that he does, Marla. He knows that she is a faker just like him, and he can't cry when another faker is present. This makes him unable to sleep, and he becomes miserable once again. He works out an agreement with her where they will go to separate groups on separate days. They exchange phone numbers and are on their ways. He works at an important job and appears to have his life all figured out. On a plane on his way home from a business trip, he meets a man named Tyler. Tyler sells soap and gives him his business card. When the main character arrives back to his apartment, he discovers that it has burned down. The only phone number he has is the one on Tyler's business card. He calls Tyler and they go to a bar together to have a drink. When they walk outside Tyler asks him to hit him as hard as he can. After some hesitation, he does it. Something inside of him turns on and they begin to fight. After the fight they are laughing and he begins to stay at Tyler's house. The two start fighting every Saturday night outside of the bar. Eventually, other men start to show up and watch. Everyone seems to be intrigued with this. At Tyler's house, the main character discovers that Marla is sleeping with Tyler. He says that he doesn't mind, but he acts strange whenever she is around. Once there are a large number of men involved in the fighting outside the bar, Tyler decides to pronounce it the "Fight Club". They start meeting in the basement of a building and men can fight every night of the week. There are rules to the club, and the first two are "don't talk about fight club".  Tyler teaches the main character how to make soap, and this starts a business. He has men audition to live in his house and be a part of his soap making business. The Fight Club is now re-named "Project Mayhem". More fight clubs are showing up all over the country. One night, when the main character realizes that he was not informed of the name change, he questions his leadership in the club. Tyler gets angry and purposely gets them into a car accident because he won't tell him what he wants to do before he dies. The next morning, Tyler is gone. The group plans a mission, and one of the members gets shot in the head and killed. This was one of the main character's good friends from his testicular cancer support group. The main character has become just like Tyler, reckless and living every day on the edge, but this event bothers him, and he realizes that they have gone too far. He goes snooping through Tyler's room, and finds ticket stubs to all over the country. He flies to every single one of those places, but misses Tyler every time. He sees many different fight clubs along the way. While he is traveling, people are calling him Tyler. He thinks that they are making a mistake, but everyone he comes across knows him as Tyler. One night, Tyler shows up in his hotel room, and reveals that they are the same person. Tyler is the main characters ideal self, he is everything that he wishes he could be. Now that Tyler realizes they are the same person, he goes out to disconnect all of the bombs that his ideal self has placed in all of the banks. He is unsuccessful, but in the end he watches all of the buildings blow up while he is holding Marla's hand.