Why this Book: I was intrigued by the movie and my reading group selected this book for our discussion.  The discussion was lively and entertaining.

My Impressions: I found the book easier to follow than the movie.  It is about rebellion against society’s constant pressure to conform to a comfortable and predictable formula for a civilized life.   Palahniuk takes the reader from the excesses of mindlessly conforming to the norms of civilized behavior to the excesses of freedom, unconstrained by any respect for those who may not be ready for the lifestyle and values he espouses.    Man in the middle is torn between the security and comforts of living in an orderly civilized society, and the joys and fulfillment of unconstrained self expression.

The narrator of the book – the Ed Norton character in the movie – is a corporate drone with little imagination and passion, who had unquestioningly accepted society’s formula for the ‘good life,’  from the well furnished condo, to the Audi in the parking lot, to the well structured patterns and rhythms of his uninspired life.   This ‘civilized man’ meets and is challenged by Tyler Durden, the free, and fearless ubermensch, who has completely rejected the fear, guilt and the numbing conformity of social convention, and embraced freedom, fun, creativity, and the impulses of his ‘inner-animal-child.’

We initially find Tyler Durden refreshing and inspiring, but become increasingly uncomfortable as he takes his freedom and will-to-power too far, rejecting even some of the most fundamental values of human decency.  He becomes maniacly obsessed with himself and his own power, creating and fueling ‘Project Mayhem’ for his disciples to carry out his apocolayptic vision.    “Burn the Louvre and wipe your ass with the Mona Lisa” is his provocative and figurative challenge which clearly becomes pathological (whatever that may mean in this book) when he starts to mean it literally.  “We are not all wonderful unique snowflakes; we are all the same decaying organic matter, destined for the same compost pile” he claims as he  rejects civilization and embraces nihilism.

It’s not hard to see the allusions to Nazi Germany – a charismatic figure who taps into the powerlessness and alienation of the dispossessed and empowers them to do evil.    But unlike some in our reading group, I saw redemption and a positive message in the book.  There is a strong message of freedom and creative self-expression, and even transcendence to a place of greater wisdom and integration, along with not-so-subtle warnings of the dangers of straying too far from the values that enable us to live together. Not too surprisingly, the women in our group were not as impressed with Fight Club as the men.

This is a very cleverly written book and is a great one for a reading group.  There are many references to Buddhism, disturbing images of excess and rebellion, and very humorous satirical perspectives on conventional living.   This was my third time reading this book, and I got more out of it with each reading.  The theme is reminiscent of Herman Hesse’s book Steppenwolf (1927) which also explored how an over-civilized man (a professor in this case) struggled with his aggressive, wilder side – represented by the image of the wolf from the steppes of Russia.