Unlikely Hope

Having a lack of direction has much to do with the theme of Fight Club. When the narrator states “what you see at Fight Club is a generation of men raised by women,” on page 50, this becomes apparent. Many men who did not have the presents of their father during their upbringing do become confused as to what exactly their role is. Simply, it is difficult for a woman to raise a man, because it is impossible for her to know exactly what her son is going through for much of his life. She has never had to deal with the problems men face. Instead, she struggled through the things women have to deal with. This makes it so when she is trying to give her son advice a father would usually be dishing out, it may come off as confusing or even an incomplete answer. When you only ever have a mother, you only have half of yourself, and trying to find the other part will always be a struggle because no one is there to give you some of the answers you are searching for. These men who take part in Fight Club do not know what they are meant to do with their lives: they are sitting at crossroads with no clue as to which direction they are meant to go. This is the entire reason why they take part in the fights. It is something they can control, a small bit of their life that is going exactly as planned for once, and they can understand why.

Another theme brought out by a simple statement is when Tyler states “it’s only after you’ve lost everything…that you’re free to do anything,” on page 70. The truth in this depressing statement is dominant throughout the book, but it strangely gives one hope. Fight Club focuses largely on the idea that there is not point to life. This thought may destroy the hope that many have, but it also does just as Tyler implies. When you have none of your original hope left in any situation, you have to start again. Although it’s hard, starting from nothing is the most helpful thing that can ever be done for you. You are given the chance to head in any direction you’d like. You get to build your own hope, rather than clinging to the hope that was built off the lies others had told you. No one’s truth is the same as anyone else’s, and therefore we all have our own version of hope as well. You have to crash and burn, loosing everything you’ve thought you had, before you can even begin to understand yourself, and your own truth. Maybe there isn’t a point to life, but that is beautiful. It means there is nothing set for you to do. You are able to do whatever you’d like.