Topic > The Question of the Author's Identity in Fight Club

Throughout Chuck Palahniuk's novel Fight Club, the search for identity and meaning in life is explored through several aspects of the novel, particularly the characterization and development of the narrator. When readers first meet the narrator, he has no sense of purpose in life and has essentially lost any sense of personal identity. Pretends to have illnesses to feel a connection with others. Over the course of the novel, the narrator begins to develop who he is through the struggles he endures, particularly with Tyler Durden. Tyler is unconsciously created by the narrator to help him in his search for his identity. Tyler brings a new perspective to the narrator's life that helps him discover what he truly wants out of life. The negative consequences suffered by the narrator due to Tyler's actions ruin his life but in a way allow the narrator to find a sense of appreciation for his traditionalist identity at the beginning of the novel and help him discover how he wants to live his life. life.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay At the beginning of the novel, Palahniuk shows the narrator's lack of personal identity through his actions and characterization. The narrator turns to several support groups for illnesses he doesn't have in order to feel emotions and a sense of identity in his life. When he goes to support groups, like Free and Clear, for blood parasites, it pushes him to cry because in that moment “[his] life is reduced to nothing” (Palahniuk 17). He is able to make connections with different people in these groups, which helps him express emotions. For example, in a support group, the narrator meets Big Bob who “wraps his arms around [the narrator]” every week and lets him cry (Palahniuk 17). By showing this release of emotions on the part of the narrator, Palahniuk shows that the narrator is not just a robot created by society and that he wants to change his life to feel human and find meaning in his life. It is in one of these support groups where he meets Marla Singer and ends up falling in love with her. These different support groups allow the narrator to bond and connect with others over a common negative factor in their lives. The narrator connects with others under false pretenses only to feel like he belongs somewhere. Even at the beginning of the novel, readers continue to see how the narrator has no sense of identity when he refers to himself as different human organs. He states “I am Jane's womb” and “I am Joe Prostate,” which tells the reader that he considers himself very ordinary (Palahniuk 58). He identifies as part of a larger whole, which demonstrates his belief that he is not in total control of his identity. The narrator has no desire to continue living the meaningless life that he is, as seen when he asks “if I could wake up in a different place, at a different time, could I wake up as a different person” (Palahniuk 33)? By attending several support groups and expressing his lack of identity, the narrator begins the search for his individuality and his life purpose. The narrator unconsciously creates another character called Tyler, who helps him discover who he is and what he wants from life. Tyler's introduction to the narrator helps advance his quest for individuality. This progression results from the destruction of the narrator's life. One of the first actions Tyler takes regarding the narrator involves Tyler blowing up the narrator's apartment. Reflecting on the items he has lost, the narrator states that “it took me my whole life to buy?