Essay Sample on Gender Dynamics in Fight Club

Introduction

The issue of gender is mostly portrayed in Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club in that almost all the characters in this novel are men. The book explores the nature of masculinity in modern society. The primary argument in this novel regarding the issue of gender is that contemporary society is depriving men their male identity by forcing them to live consumerist lives characterized by shopping, physical beauty, and clothing. These traits are typical for women, and since they are held in high regard in the American society, then they forcefully subdue the aspects of men which make them "real" men. For this reason, this novel portrays that men are so emasculated that they have forgotten what it means to be a man. This paper explores the theme of gender dynamics is used in Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club to prove a larger point.

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Fight club is an avenue where men try to rediscover themselves from the emasculation they face from society. As earlier mentioned, modern society seems to value consumerist lives which typically have traits of women such as shopping, physical beauty, and clothing. As such, there is a trend where men feel that they are forced to confine themselves in the consumerist lives to be part of the larger society. As such, men are emasculated hence losing the traditional sense of being a real man. In reaction, fight club has the purpose of enabling men to regain their raw or traditional masculinity. The aspect of masculinity relates to a man being willing to endure pain and make other people feel pain. In this case, men feel that they are muscular enough when they are aware of their own body and being willing to use their body to satisfy their deep and aggressive needs. In other words, fight clubs offer men an overwhelming sense of life which the society has failed to give them since most of the things are centered on the traits of typical women. "The first rule about fight club is you don't talk about fight club" (p.37). This quote shows that fight clubs are for men. The affairs of men should be kept secret since they try to serve their interests which are different from those of women. The emasculation which men undergo in the modern society are as a result of most things being centered on the interests of the women.

The life which is consumerist is the concept which serves the needs and wants of women. The society, therefore, seems to be going the direction of women more than men. For this reason, men have to find their way out of this trap by engaging in things which revive their sense of masculinity. The concept of the Fight Club attempt to satisfy the need of men wanting to fulfill their masculinity needs. The reason men are not supposed to discuss the issues of fight club outside fight club is that these issues should not be leaked to the larger society to avoid deteriorating the problems men face in the society. However, there are many situations where men confine to the expectations of the larger society instead of defending their gender identity (Rudman and Peter 744). The deliberation between men can help them overcome their problems in modern society.

Men join fight club to get rid of effeminate values and behaviors. Men feel that the effeminate values as well as behaviors destroy them and hence strive to fight their ways. "Maybe another woman isn't what I need right now" (p.39). This statement the novel paints a particular picture that men feel that they want to repel attempts to live by the effeminate values and beliefs. In the worse case, men opt to keep off from the women to ensure that there no compromise of their values. The members of fight club dismiss femininity as they try to regain their true identity. The aim, in this case, is to ensure that men are not under the mercy of the women regarding the things which they value or aspire to attain. The tendency of the society to stress a lot on the traits which are typical of a woman leaves a man vulnerable to losing his identity. The man, in return, struggles a lot to have his own space or can choose to get submerged to the values that are unmanly. The modern society is characterized by gender issues which are controversial in many aspects. The individual values of the men or either woman are based on their decisions concerning what is right or wrong. However, the identity of gender is determined heavily on the norms of the society regarding what is expected of a man or a woman. For this reason, striving to live with this norm is what influences how individuals behave in the society.

The answer to the society's gender problems is not on focusing to one gender by embracing values which merely human. As much as the narrator in the novel tends to promote the concept of masculinity, towards the end of the novel, the narrator goes to Marla for assistance while fighting Tyler. This decision shows that the problems regarding the gender controversies in the society can be solved when the values which are both feminine and masculine are adopted for the common good. In other words, values which are human should be adopted to ensure that gender issues are solved. The author suggests that values which are stereotypically masculine and some which are a bit stereotypically feminine need to be adopted altogether. Furthermore, other values which are not masculine or feminine also need to be adopted to address the societal problems associated with gender. The approach aims at ensuring that the emphasis is for attaining the welfare of the society as a whole and not about a given gender. For instance, a value like strength is a masculine trait while compassion is a feminine value, both of which can be embraced together for the common good of the society (Heilman 658). Other benefits which are not either feminine or masculine, but merely human also needs to be embraced. This approach will address issues which no single gender can deal with alone. For instance, in the novel, a male character argues, "I'm a thirty-year-old boy, and I'm wondering if another woman is the answer I need" (p.40). The statement shows that society problems can only be dealt with by both genders.

The larger point being driven across in Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club is that masculinity and femininity are influenced by the expectation of the society and individual aspirations. The balance between the two of these aspects affects how individuals behave. Men tend to repel the force which suppresses their masculine power and would engage even in fights to prove that they have the ability to withstand pain or also to seek it. For this reason, the attempt to confine individuals who are aware of their body make up may result in negative effects (Prentice and Erica 270). In this case, an individual can engage in anything which is rebel in nature to prove that they are otherwise from what the society expects of them. Here, there is the difference between liberals and those individuals that follow the trend of the society. Lack of being aware of one's values and potential may influence an individual to become a follower rather than seek their path.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the problems in the society are, therefore, an intersection between various things which cut across masculinity and femininity. Values which are human should be adopted to ensure that gender issues are solved. The author suggests that values which are stereotypically masculine and some which are a bit stereotypically feminine need to be adopted altogether. For this reason, it is important to consider all the dimensions that the issues of the society take to have a lasting solution. In this case, involving things which are good for the welfare of the whole society should be the main focus. This approach helps in finding the solutions which are not biased but rather good for everyone in the society. The individuals in the society should not compete on the basis of their gender but rather their values.

Work Cited

Heilman, Madeline E. "Description and prescription: How gender stereotypes prevent women's ascent up the organizational ladder." Journal of social issues 57.4 (2001): 657-674.

Palahniuk, Chuck. Fight Club: a novel. WW Norton & Company, 2005.

Prentice, Deborah A., and Erica Carranza. "What women and men should be, shouldn't be, are allowed to be, and don't have to be: The contents of prescriptive gender stereotypes." Psychology of women quarterly 26.4 (2002): 269-281.

Rudman, Laurie A., and Peter Glick. "Prescriptive gender stereotypes and backlash toward agentic women." Journal of social issues 57.4 (2001): 743-762.