Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk is a novel that answers the question “What if I had insomnia and didn’t know it?” The protagonist goes to support groups but then things spiral out of control and he ends up joining a fight club. Keep reading to find out why you should be reading this classic novel!
Like most people, I first came across Fight Club via Brad Pitt and the movie version and I instantly fell in love. As a young kid, I didn’t really grasp what I had fallen in love with but I was left in awe. And over a decade later, I still love Fight Club and the magic has not gone away.
Fight Cub Summary
Chuck Palahniuk’s debut novel was about a protagonist whose name we never get to hear. He is sleep deprived, hates his job, and stuck in a loop, doing the same thing over and over. That cycle breaks when he meets Tyler Durden and the protagonist’s life is flipped upside down.
Tyler encourages the protagonist to stop being a sheep and take the lead in life. Apparently, that means fight Durden outside of a bar and losing a tooth. And starting a fight club all over the country. But things start to take a dark turn and the protagonist realizes everything is not as it appears.
Commentary
Palahniuk’s Fight Club is a great commentary on the modern world. The protagonist not having a name implies that he can be anyone, including the reader. And that is kind of the point. Most people can relate to having a boring job, a dull life with no purpose, and a boss that they hate. All we need is a little push to become unhinged.
One of my favorite things about the novel is how wild of a ride it becomes. The story picks up speed as you keep reading and suddenly, you are headed off of a cliff. Palahniuk pulls the carpet right under the reader and makes us wonder how much of what we read can we trust?
Conclusion
Fight Club is one of my all-time favorite novels and a great movie to watch. If you do read the novel, I recommend to watch the movie which didn’t do that great initially when it was released. Now, it is a cult favorite and is always being brought up in mainstream media.
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