Fight Club Men and Masculinity

From WWE to UFC to sumo wrestling, men just love ripping off their shirts and getting into big sweaty fights. We're not sure why, but we do know that the men in Fight Club are no different. They want to take over the world, and they're not going to do it with brains. No, brains are for women. These men are going to take over with muscle and pure explosive power. Grunt!

Questions About Men and Masculinity

1. Does Fight Club accurately portray men? Is it a one-sided portrayal or is it more nuanced than it might seem?
2. Bob's big bosom is a result of too much testosterone causing an increase in estrogen. Is Palahniuk trying to show us that it's possible for a man to be too masculine? Or is he making a different statement?
3. What are the men in fight club really fighting about or against?

Chew on This

Tyler might be the brains of the operation, but he recruits his space monkey army based on repressed anger and testosterone level.

Our narrator has grown up in a society that so looks down on acts of aggression, he's had to disassociate himself from that side of his personality. The disassociation is so extreme, he ends up creating an alternate personality.