Analysis Of Palahniuk's Fight Club

However, despite being “unsure of their futures, with nowhere to direct their anger and no one to assuage their fears” (GEN X – SITE SOURCE), the characteristic of Generation X which really draws parallels to Palahniuk’s novel is the high divorce rate of the time. The impact of an influential feminized society is yet again bolstered by the norm of a woman being in complete control as a result of fathers leaving the household. In the novel, Jack mentions his absent father, and thus begins seeing a father figure in Tyler after having lacked strong male models whilst growing up. To the cohort of members in Fight Club feeling effeminate as a result, Tyler concludes that they are a “generation of men raised by women” (PAGE), further nourishing the men’s desire to fight and express their wrath to regain their identities. Due to their upbringing, the men in Fight Club lack a masculine portrayal, and hence idealize Tyler as the sole example of what masculinity should be. In hindsight, however, Tyler and Jack are the same person, clouded by a dissociative identity disorder; according to Christian McKinney in his essay, it is the “narrator’s desperate search for a father figure which ultimately results in the invention of Tyler” (MCKINNEY-EB). Additionally, it is evident that Jack blames himself for the dissolution of his family as his father “divorced (his) mother when (he) was about six, moved to another town, married another woman, and started having kids with her” (PAGE). This is