The Fatherless Fight

In my opinion, the most apparent theme that in existed in Fight Club centered on the Father, or lack there of. Specifically, the book implies that the Father bears the weight of influence on males, and of being a guiding light in the life of his children. The Father is even referred to as a “God” in the book by the mechanic, shedding light on the degree of importance that the “lack” of a father has on the main character. The mechanic states, “If you’re male and you’re Christian and living in America, your father is your model for God. And if you never know your father, if your father bails out or dies or is never at home, what do you believe about God?” (pg 141). The answer, I think, is that you don’t know what to think about God, hence the struggle that takes place throughout the book.

Without a father, someone to look up to and something to believe in, the main character has no idea who he is. He even remains nameless in the book since he has no father to take the name of. The result of this “lack” and confusion is that he lives dual lives, one the life of a decent member of society, but who is consumed by all the “things” around him. The other, Tyler, is the outward expression of rage and chaos. He constantly fights an internal battle against his uncertainty in life and his lack of guidance, both of which stem from a weak or non-existent father. Tyler even states when asked who he is truly fighting against that it is his father (53).

So what is this book truly about? The “double” personality and “dual” lives of the main character…not in my opinion. That is certainly what makes up this interesting and twisted plot, but more importantly are the references to the state of our society. According to Tyler, too many males are being raised by women these days, with no male influence or father figure in their lives. This then leaves their roles in society confused and out of place…the reason, our social construction. Within our “social construction” is the implied fact that men are the head of the family and household, our political and social leaders, our warriors, fathers, and quite literally the Gods to their children. Fathers are the ones that boys look to when making decisions between right and wrong, deciding how to live their lives, and when trying to figure out what kind of men they will grow up to be. Fathers bear this responsibility, and when they are not present in the lives of their children, specifically for their sons, all of this is left up to chance.

Without a father, such as the case in this book, males in our society literally don’t know how to live their lives, or who to be. Hence the dualism and the internal struggle that the main character faces. It’s the unfulfilling and rigid “good” life of a no-name vs. the out of control, but satisfying, “bad/evil” life, represented by Tyler. Unfortunately, in the end of the book, no one wins. Self-destruction prevails. That’s quite a strong statement about the future of our society, if you ask me.