Fight Club and Notes From The Underground

In class Ms. King mentioned Fight Club while discussing Notes From the Underground. In Fight Club, the main character’s name is not initially revealed, just as in Notes From the Underground. However, the main character in Fight Club eventually discovers that his name is actually the same name as his alter ego’s, Tyler. The main character in Fight Club initially suffers from insomnia and can only sleep whenever he feels pain. Just like the Underground Man, he begins to find pleasure through pain. He’d rather feel pain than nothing, which basically becomes the basis of Fight Club. He and his alter ego create Fight Club as a way to cope with their needs through aggression and pain. He uses Fight Club so that he can feel something and sleep at night. Through Fight Club he escapes boredom and nothingness. The main character from Fight Club and the Underground Man are also both very insecure about their appearance. The Main Character in Fight Club creates Tyler to overcome this insecurity. Tyler basically represents the main character’s ideal version of himself. Tyler is stylish, in shape, persuasive, smart, and desirable. The real Tyler is small and too insecure to love someone else. Tyler’s behavior towards Marla is also similar to the Underground Man’s behavior towards Liza. When he is the ideal Tyler he is confident enough to call up Marla and control the situation. When he is the real and more insecure Tyler he feels more vulnerable and looks at Marla like she is beneath him and not worth saving. The real Tyler would allow Marla to overdoes and die whereas the ideal Tyler attempts to rescue her. Similarly, the Underground Man struggles between his need to save Liza and insulting her and seeing her as beneath him. Tyler’s behavior towards Marla frequently shifts depending on the situation and his mood. While he is the ideal Tyler, he acts more like the Underground Man when he initially met Liza. While he is the real Tyler, he acts more like the Underground Man when Liza came to his house. There are many differences between the Underground Man and Tyler, but there are also some psychological similarities between the two characters. Although the Underground Man didn’t create alter egos, him and Tyler share similarities through their need for pain to escape nothingness, their inability to love, their insecurities, and their drastically changing moods. Although Tyler was more of a threat to society than the Underground Man, his character is still more likeable because at least he eventually redeems himself and conquers his issues. The Underground Man never faces his issues and continues to perceive the world through his own cynical vision.