Restoration of Masculinity in Fight Club Alicia Marcoux

First rule of Fight Club: "You do not talk about Fight Club. Second rule of Fight Club: You do not talk about Fight Club" (Fight Club, 1999). David Fincher has directed many brilliant movies in his career, including Seven, Fight Club, and most recently, Zodiac. His movies are known as psychological thrillers with multi-layers and many important themes; Fight Club is no exception. The 1999 movie is narrated by a man (played by Edward Norton) whose real name is never revealed, so we will refer to him as Jack in this essay. Jack is not the average masculine male figure. Masculinity can be defined as the trait of behaving in ways characterized of men, such as aggression and leadership (Santrock & Mitterer 2001). What we view as masculine is the "aggregate of a complex web of characteristics, behaviours and traits that we have agreed to read as masculine" (Tripp 186). Jack, on the other hand, displays typical feminine characteristics, such as sensitivity and his need for material possessions. In today's society, American men are facing a crisis since the feminist movement and the influx of women into the work force have left their traditional code of masculinity in a state of collapse. Henry Giroux states...