preview

Fight Club Psychology

Decent Essays

With the success of Chuck Palahniuk’s novel Fight Club, Hollywood decided that a film should adapt to the novel. Since we just finished explaining the messaging of the novel, now let’s examine the film, Fight Club, directed David Fincher. Fight Club the movie came out in 1999 about three years after the novel was released. There were many different meanings viewers got from the movie but one stood out and that was people must go through self-destruction to find their true inner self. Many of us have a hard time with discovering who we truly are just by ourselves. Most of us need help from others to gain this satisfaction. Director Fincher incorporates elements of psychology and captures the different characteristics of cinematography to enhance …show more content…

Psychological criticism derived from Sigmund Freud’s psychological theories such as Id, Ego, and Superego. When using this criticism, readers “evaluate the psychological state of the characters, and examine their motivations and actions with an understanding of psychology in mind” (What Is Psychological Criticism?). There are numerous context clues in Fight Club that relates to psychology. From the beginning of the movie, the viewers can tell who the Id and Ego are just from the narrator and Tyler’s personality. The person who drives the narrators’ impulses and makes him want more in life is Tyler, which makes him the Id. The Ego is the narrator since he sees what is right and wrong. The audience can tell this by the scene …show more content…

When the narrator is away from Tyler, such as when he is working, the lighting is soft having more filler lights which soften shadows. Also, all the props and costumes in his office have neutral colors and are plain. When he is with Tyler the colors are more vivid and saturated, not necessarily brighter. Everything in the “normal world” is flat and bland reflecting the narrator’s feelings towards corporate life and the rut that he feels he is stuck in (Fight Club). But when the narrator hangs out with Tyler Durden, the lighting is darker and more intense. Low key lighting appears with Tyler making the scenes with him have harsh shadows. The harsh lighting emphasizes how intense Tyler Durden really is. When the narrator is with Tyler, the audience are really seeing how the narrators truly feels about himself and the life he is living. Next, we will discuss the importance of the narrator finding his true inner

Get Access