MALE REPRESENTATION“We’re designed to

be hunters and we’re in a society of

shopping”

- Tyler

Objectives:To analyse the representation of Masculinity in ‘Fight Club’. To outline and analyse the binary opposites that exist between the Narrator and Tyler.

StarterAnnotate the body outline with the features, signifiers of traditional masculinity. Be as creative as you like

Masculinity: Social Context FeminismTraditional male roles: Cowboy; Hunter;

Defender; Achiever; Warrior; BreadwinnerExposed as myths by the feminist movementMen left without a clear identity after

Feminism questioned the role of manTraditional Male roles/unachievable images

of strength ALSO imprisoned men • Repressed male rage – Frustration about:• The Feminization of Man and an increase in

‘consumption’• Repressed ‘Raw’ Masculinity• The dehumanizing effects of corporate consumer

culture

The ‘New Man’• The ‘new man’ has lost touch with his

masculine ‘core’ • The ‘real man’ has been lost by

consumerism and the media• Film depicts mens’ frustration at the

media’s ‘feminisation’ of men• Mans obsession with consumerism has

replaced traditional male symbols: strength, honour

• Attacks lack of male role models – men raised by women due to men working

• Fight Club attempts to reassert supposedly ‘obsolete’ Violent, Mindless Masculinity

The NarratorAs you watch the clip and with the knowledge

we have already gained make notes on:How is the Narrator presented to us a ‘man

in crisis’?What does the Narrator’s ‘Power Animal’ say

about the state of contemporary masculinity?

Norton (The narrator)• Introduced by credits hurtling

through his brain• The ‘Unreliable Narrator’ – gains

audiences trust but is untrustworthy due to his mental state

• The ‘new man’ character – he is ‘emasculated’

• Consumerist: Job + Possessions + Clothes + Car = Happiness

• His male status is an illusion – accumulation of possessions but no happiness

• Traditional male role is lost – no male friends, no sexual partner, no libido, no ‘action’ job

• Fantasises about dying

Mise en Scene & The Narrator• Mise en scene

depicts the Narrator in a constricted, unsettled world

• Spaces which

constrain him/give a sense of confinement; Low ceilings cluttered sets; no colour (chiaroscuro)

• TRAPPED in his suit

The Narrator’s ‘Power Animal’• What does the Narrator’s ‘Power

Animal’ say about the state of contemporary masculinity?

• Power Animals: Lion? Tiger? Shark? Penguin

• Connotations of the Penguin:• Small; Incapable of Flight;

Childish; Harmless; Tuxedo/wears a suit

• Penguin is juxtaposed against Narrator’s dream of masculine empowerment

Remaining Men TogetherWe are introduced to two men that have

attempted to conform to traditional roles of masculinity and failed.

In what ways have they both been emasculated?

Bob• Bob’s character is seen

through the eyes of the ‘Unreliable Narrator’ –

• Norton’s unstable perspective: How he see’s contemporary man:

• A muscleman with breasts (Traditional Masculinity V’s the New Man)

• In trying to attain ideal male physique gets breasts!

• Gives maternal, feminine care to Narrator

QuestionHow does the intro to Fight Club present the

‘new man’?

15 minutes – use examples.

Starter/Re-capAnnotate the features of the new man

presented to us by Fight Club all around the body outline.

You can be as creative as you like.

TylerWatch the clip. What role does Tyler play in the narrative?What does he embody & how is he different

to the Narrator?

Tyler Played by Brad Pitt – the star

most men would want to play them in a movie of their life

Male aspiration figure for the Narrator – his care-free, hot ideal alter ego: answers to nobody

• Created from frustration and repressed rage

Introduced wearing sunglasses, leather jacket, chiseled jaw, spiked hair, a colourful juxtaposition against the ‘grey’ suited Narrator

Everything the narrator isn’t: Charismatic, Sexually

Dominant Aggressive, Powerful, in

charge of his own destiny Tyler rejects consumerism/

materialistic lifestyle

Group TaskCreate a list of the binary opposites that exist

between the Narrator and Tyler.

Choose one of these and write up your notes in full sentences.

Male Binary Opposites• Occupies corporate

spaces: Offices, Planes, Hotels

• The same as everybody else – just another grey suit (‘A copy of a copy of a copy’)

• Occupies shadowy underworld

• Outlandish, Flamboyant, Unique, Original – link to Anti Globalization themes

Homework - The Fight ClubWatch the clip Intro to Fight Club from the

U drive. Make notes on these questionsWhat type of man attends Fight Club?What seems to be the function of it in their

lives?Analyse Tyler’s speech – what could this be

likened to?How does this notion of masculinity differ

from what we have previously been offered by the film?

The Fight ClubThe creation of ‘The Fight Club’ plays

an essential role in freeing the narrator from his crisis of masculinity.

Mostly filled by white middle class achievers who feel there material successes are empty, or working class men frustrated by their social status.

It is almost like a ‘trial by fire’ initiation ritual for the modern man.

The focus of fighting is endurance – taking the beating and defining one’s identity through the pain.

• Scenes of physical displays of violence in an attempt to find inner ‘man’

• Men resort back to a tribal, raw masculinity = another empty role

QuestionWhat function does ‘The Fight Club’ play in

the film?