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Balance - Coggle Diagram
Balance
Perfection
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The movie portrays how the pursuit of perfection can be toxic, as symbolized by the mundane and repressed life of the Narrator, but complete ignorance of perfection may also cause much harm, as portrayed by the destructive habits of Tyler Durden
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"Our fathers were our models for God. If our fathers failed, what does that tell you about God...You have to consider the possibility that God does not like you. In all probability he hates you...F redemption, if we are God's unwanted children, so be it!"
This standard of unattainable perfection that modern society has created causes people to want to rebel.
"We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't2. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off."
Masculinity
Masculine values are important in this movie. It relates to balance as Tyler can be a symbol for a toxic male while the Narrator can be a symbol for a lack of masculinity. However, it focuses a lot more on these toxic masculine virtues as in the film, the Narrator acknowledges that violence solves nothing, but it allows them to feel "saved" and "free".
Tyler Durden: All the ways you wish you could be, that's me. I look like you wanna look, I f like you wanna f, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.
"After the fight, nothing was solved, but nothing mattered. We felt saved."
Rebellion
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A balance between rebellion and obedience also exist in the film. On one hand, the Narrator obeys society's rules while his alter ego, Tyler Durden, tends to ignore society's rules.
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Death
Tyler Durden's carefree and reckless nature often comes from the universal fact that everyone's destiny is death. It is often this concept that Tyler Durden bases his philosophy from. Death also places into perspective whether or not such rules are worth living if they make a person unhappy.
"Tomorrow will be the most beautiful day of Raymond K. Hessel's life. His breakfast will taste better than any meal than you and I have ever tasted."
The film also focuses on the concept of death and how human life can end any time. This allows the Narrator to put into perspective whether living such a mundane life is worth it or not.
"You have to know, not fear, know that someday, you're going to die."
Materialism
Capitalism takes advantage of the materialistic nature of people and how materialism leads to a definition of perfection.
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Materialism is another issue tackled in this film. On one hand, the Narrator is a "slave to the system", but on the other extreme end of the spectrum, his alter ego Tyler Durden is an anarchist.