Fight Club vs. Freud

Throughout Fincher's Fight Club, Tyler Durden, or more specifically the narrator, often transitions between conscious thought (Edward Norton, while he is awake during the day) to unconscious thought (Brad Pitt, while the narrator "thinks" he is asleep.) Tyler Durden's unconscious thoughts are depicted through the "blackout's" in memory that he experiences every night due to his insomnia. From here, Freud states that there are two distinct types of unconscious thought, which I believe are clearly depicted in Fight Club. First, Freud introduces the reader to the concept of "preconscious" ideas. Preconscious ideas are repressed, latent thoughts that can become conscious ideas. Various preconscious ideas are revealed later in the film when the narrator reveals to himself that he is actually Tyler Durden. I believe that all of the repressed "dreams" of Tyler Durden that the narrator has been struggling with early in the film are, in fact, preconscious ideas, because once he realizes he is Tyler Durden the memories become conscious thoughts.

The second point of analysis I would like to make will speak of Freud's claim that repression must be a third factor of unconscious thought, which is an integral part of the Ego. Here, he states that while the conscious ego can encompass unconscious thoughts, there must be something that unknowingly resists part of itself. This occurrence is probably one of the most observable comparisons to the film Fight Club, because only at the climax of the film does the narrator find out that he has suppressed a whole different life he has lived. This does show to be an inherent part of the Ego because the narrator's repression has allowed him to become the person he always aspired to be. If he were to live in a state of complete conscious thought, then I believe he would not have effectively transitioned into Tyler Durden. In addition, the scene where the narrator finds out that Tyler Durden blew up his apartment is an excellent example of Freud's analysis of repression. Here, the narrator is extremely upset at the fact that this person blew up his apartment, when in reality, he did it himself. This suppressed memory allowed his Ego to transform into what it intended to be, but the "fight" between the fictitious Tyler Durden and the narrator over the apartment shows that he is resisting himself.

The third point of comparison I'd like to make will portray Freud's ideas of the Ego, and the Id, depicted through the characters "the narrator" and Tyler Durden. Tyler Durden is a destructive force in the movie, often causing chaos and ultimately planning a terrorist attack. In addition, he does things his own way. He never listens to anyone else's advice, especially when the narrator tells him to do something. I believe that this makes (Pitt) Tyler Durden the ideal representation of the Id. Freud claims that the Id is made up of various instinctual trends. The best comparison can be made about how Tyler starts a fight club where the Id can release itself in a manner embodying no restrictions of how it should be maintained. Next, I'd like to show the similarities between the narrator and the Ego. The Ego is the organized, realistic part that maintains order between the Super-Ego and the Id. Throughout the film, we see the series of events through the narrator's eyes. He often attempts to place restrictions on Tyler's activities, such as his attempt to stop the bombing of the credit card companies. The narrator, being the Ego, wants order, whereas Tyler, the Id, wants chaos and destruction.

The last point of analysis I'd like to make highlights the nature of the Super-ego within Fight Club. Freud states that the Super-ego is part of a person's mind that acts as a self-critical conscience, and echoes social standards learned from parents and teachers. Since we do not get much insight into the narrator's parents, I believe that the Super-ego is the embodiment of the learned societal-capitalistic rhetoric often criticized within the film. In the beginning of the film, the narrator is obsessed with the contents of his apartment. He states that his possessions "represent" him as a person. This not only relates to him, but to society as a whole. Therefore, I believe that his former, consumer-driven self can be tied to the learned traits of his super-ego. Later, we observe the narrator rejecting the societal standards (super-ego), and ultimately starting "project mayhem" to rid himself and society of those "learned traits."