• Identify ways the film portrays masculinity (be sure to reference the readings):

The movie Fight Club has two many male characters, Tyler, and the unnamed Narrator, played by Edward Norton. Initially as the Narrator, he is not conveying masculinity as he is interested in furniture, wardrobe and is opposed to the first fight he and Tyler get into. However as Tyler, he is controlling, powerful, and omnipotent, as described in Masculinity as a Spectacle (Neale 1983) and is the character that people are most interested in, and the man the Narrator desires to be. Tyler is the perfect male, although Brad Pitt plays him so that seems obvious. The female character Marla, also favours Tyler, as she does not become romantically involved with the narrator until he is Tyler.

Lastly, the spectacle is the male body, music changes slightly, the scene slows and there is close ups of a shirtless torsos. Yet it is not erotic or sexual, but fuelled by combat and aggression, similar to how Neale (1983) describes Spartacus and The Fall of the Roman Empire.

 

  • Consider how the film contributes to positive or negative views of masculinity

Another character who sees the downfall to the opposite of masculinity is Bob, from the testicular cancer group. Bob was a championship body builder, a very masculine hobby, then after his diagnosis he loses testosterone, and becomes more feminine, growing breasts, becoming more emotional. This transformation leads to a loss of job and family, implying that hyper masculinity leads to successes in life, such as loved ones. He does gain some masculinity back, when he joins the fight club, but his demise is inevitable.

 

  • What the Film tells us about the world in response to Gill’s “post feminism as

Sensibility”

Marla, the female character shows a sense of post feminism in the fact that she attends a testicular cancer group; she does things for her own benefit, disregarding cultural influence.

 

Neale, Steve, “Masculinity as a Spectacle: Reflections on Men and Mainstream Cinema”. Screen, 24, no. 6 (1983, November) : 2-17.