Comparative Essay between “Fight Club” and “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”

1181 Words3 Pages

After reading and evaluating the works of T. S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club, there are various discussion points pertaining to the connection between tragedy and human conditions. Herein, tragedy is the result of a specific human condition, disengagement. This essay aims to identify and explain the behavioural traits between characters in two literary works which leads to a disengagement by the characters from a typical social environment.

In Palahniuk’s Fight Club, Tyler Durden is a conformist to society that experienced a personal tragedy which led him to disengage from the societal normality and found an organization known as Fight Club, an underground street fighting competition. Tyler was once an aspiring businessperson. His failure was the cause of his conformity. Tyler then began to work as a security guard, primarily conducting after hour duties. This led him to begin stealing left over human fat to create the ingredients for the manufacture of explosives with the aim of supplementing his income (Schuessler). Here a personal tragedy, specifically failure, led to a behavioural condition known as disengagement. Tyler retracted himself from the typical American societal expectations and rebelled through forms of crime and backlash.

Tyler’s failure as a businessperson and his overall frustration with the societal functions in the United States led him to conform to regular societal norms. Jack Moore, a contrasting character, who suffers from insomnia as a result of frustration with a standardized and plain lifestyle. Both Jack and Tyler eventually conform from society through different avenues, each with unique and contrasting impacts on their lives. Jack and Tyler engage in co...

... middle of paper ...

...l experienced a human condition as a result of their respective tragedies. Each individual diverted their emotions towards various elements in their efforts to comply with societal demands. As a result of fear, lack of confidence and suppression of society each individual reacted to their personal societal challenges through the human condition of disengagement from their respective societies.

Works Cited

Elliot, Thomas Stearns. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. Prufrock and Other Observations. 1917.

Palahniuk, Chuck. Fight Club. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1996.

Pioch, Nicolas. The Webmuseum. 25 October 2005. 17 May 2011 .

Poetics. 16 March 2011. April 2011 .

Schuessler, Zachary. A Psychological Analysis of Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club. 3 May 2007.

Show More
Related

  • Criminological Theory of Anomie and Social Control Shown in the Movie 'Falling Down"

    2305 Words  | 5 Pages

    Anomie is characterized as a feeling of normlessness. This results from a breakdown of social norms and without these norms to guide an individual they are unable to find a place in society or adjust to the constant changes in life. The consequence becomes the individual feeling a sense of dissatisfaction, frustration, conflict and ultimately deviance. Robert Merton addresses the five ways in which individual adapts to strain by limiting the socially approved goals and means. These five modes of adaptation include conforming, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion. In Falling Down different characters can be linked to one or more of these five adaptations.

    Read More

  • Societal Change In Things Fall Apart And The Play King Lear

    1159 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the novel Things Fall Apart and the play King Lear, both have presented stories of tragic endings. And both stories have presented some degrees of societal changes, societal conditions and personal changes. Both showed that sometimes the forces of societal change and condition, and the personal changes and situations, can affect each other. All four factors are related to each other.

    Read More

  • Saki'’s The Interlopers, Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, and Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

    4211 Words  | 9 Pages

    In three dynamic pieces of literature, the desperate yet hopeful characters gallantly endure the struggles of achieving their dreams as they experience the pain of desolation and the life-fulfilling happiness of a friendly companion. Through hostile resentment, the intense repulsion created by generations of territorial disputes tears apart two vengeful foes, Ulrich and Georg, in Saki’s captivating tale. Whereas in Remarque’s gory war novel, the pure terror of battle brutally slaughters the once innocent minds of soldiers as they undergo changes in their heart and soul within themselves. Although impervious to the influence of the reclusive residents tied to the ranch, as they quest for their shared aspirations, George and Lennie forge an invincible friendship in Steinbeck’s calamitous novelette.

    Read More

  • Violence within Society: Violent Tendencies That Occur Due to Society’s Narrow-minded Expectations in Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange and Palahniuk’s Fi

    1805 Words  | 4 Pages

    Society often pressures individuals within it to conform to different ideals and norms. This stems from the fact that individuals in a society are expected to act in a certain way. If a person or group of people do not satisfy society’s expectations, they are looked down upon by others. This can lead to individuals isolating themselves from others, or being isolated from others, because they are considered as outcasts. The emotional turmoil that can result from this, as well as the internal conflict of whether or not to conform, can transform an individual into a completely different person. This transformation can either be beneficial or harmful to the individual as well as those around them. The individual can become an improved version of himself or herself but conversely, they can become violent, rebellious and destructive. The novels Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk and A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess both explore the negative effects experienced by individuals living within the confines of society’s narrow-mindedness. In A Clockwork Orange, protagonist Alex was the leader of a small group of teenage criminals. He did not have a healthy relationship with either one of his parents or with others around him. Instead he spent most of his time alone during the day and at night roamed the streets in search of victims he could mug or rape. In Fight Club the unnamed protagonist was an outcast in his community. He chose to distance and isolate himself from others and as a result had no friends, with the exception of Tyler Durden and Marla Singer. Due to his isolation, he often participated in nightly fights that took place in Fight Club so that he could relieve his anxiety and stress. In this way, Alex and the unnamed protagoni...

    Read More

  • Comparison: Marriage, by Gregory Corso & The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, by T. S. Eliot

    2128 Words  | 5 Pages

    Eliot, T.S.. "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." An Introduction to Poetry. 13th ed. Kennedy, X. J., and Dana Gioia. Boston: Little, Brown, 1966. 369-372. Print.

    Read More

  • Extreem Dislike of Society in Emily Dickinson’s Poetry, Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, and Lu Xun’s Diary of a Madman

    1698 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is funny and yet tragic to see that no matter where an individual’s geographical location is or for the most part when in history the duration of their lifetime occurred, that they still can share with other tormented individuals the same pain, as a result of the same malignancies plaguing humanity for what seems to have been from the beginning. Emily Dickinson’s poetry, Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, and Lu Xun’s “Diary of a Madman” all exhibit disgust for their societies, what is particularly interesting however, is that the subject of their complaints are almost identical in nature. This demonstrates how literature really does reflect the attitudes and tribulations the society and or culture endures from which it was written. The grievances that they feel to be of such importance as to base their literary works on are that of traditionalism and, the carnivorous nature of society. Different societies will inevitably produce different restrictive and consuming faces to these problems.

    Read More

  • Cry, the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton and Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe

    1004 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ms by which to live. An individual confronts many challenges in society, whether it be crime and punishment, struggle to grow, or other rapid modifications. Cry, The Beloved Country and Things Fall Apart exemplify how societies can be disrupted and how people react to interruptions to their traditional way of life. Some choose to adapt to society’s new ways, while others resist assimilating themselves with the innovative public. Societal change happens no matter where you are, however, how someone allows it to affect them remains determined by that person. Society maintains their own way of punishment, production of a particular type of person, and causes some to prevent from adapting to its evolving ways.

    Read More

  • T.S. Elliot's The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

    1115 Words  | 3 Pages

    Eliot, Thomas Stearns. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. Chicago: Poetry: A Magazine of

    Read More

  • Fight Club

    1347 Words  | 3 Pages

    The main themes of the story are loneliness, materialism, and freedom from society. Tyler was created because of the lack of connection the narrator had with the people around him. The narrator was lonely and attended so many support groups because of it. He was not rejected at the support groups because the members thought he was sick just like they were. Materialism is a reoccurring theme as the narrator mentions how he has worked his entire life for the Ikea items in his apartment. He tried to fill the void in his life by buying worthless, meaningless stuff. People spend too much time working for things they do not need. The narrator comes to the conclusion that, “You are not your job or your possessions.” Only once a person realizes that can he or she finally let go and start living. “It’s only after you’ve lost everything,” Tyler says, “that you’re free to do anything.” In order to be free, we must not care about the stuff we own. Our whole lives are spent working to pay for stuff. If we did not have stuff to pay for, we would not have to work as hard and our time could be spent doing something more meaningful.

    Read More

  • Marxism In Fight Club

    1322 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tyler Durden encourages the narrator to give up his consumerist, meaningless life to fight the exploitation inherent in corporate society. Similarly, Marx believed that the capitalist system inherently exploited workers, arguing that the interests of the capitalist class conflicted with that of the working class. Additionally, Marx’s core concept of historical materialism is realized in Fight Club. The narrator in this film strives to express himself through the items he possesses, searching for meaning in his life through physical objects. He looks for release in buying more and more things he does not need. This illustrates historical materialism, in which Marx argues that people are what they have. Additionally, Marx argues that the flow of ideas is also controlled by the capitalist class. The narrator in Fight Club is forced to come to terms with these ideas. He learns that buying and consuming more material objects does not make him happy, and is forced to confront the destruction of his consumerist identity when his apartment is suddenly destroyed. Additionally, the narrator’s thoughts are never completely his own, suggesting that he is grappling with the controlled flow of ideas inherent in capitalist society. All of these factors combine to force the narrator to look for life fulfillment elsewhere, hence the formation of fight club and the friendship of the dangerous Tyler

    Read More

  • Criticisms of Consumerism and Materialism in Fight Club (1999)

    886 Words  | 2 Pages

    “You’re not your job. You’re not how much money you have in the bank. You’re not the car you drive. You’re not the contents of your wallet. You’re not your fucking khakis. You are the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world.” This is the underlying message in Fincher’s Fight Club (1999), which satirically analyzes and critiques consumerism. The films characters vividly depict society’s immersion in materialism and presents viewers with the harsh reality regarding the irrelevance of material possessions.

    Read More

  • Analysis of "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

    603 Words  | 2 Pages

    In "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Elliot the speaker Alfred is a

    Read More

  • The Disappearance by Chitra Banerjee Divankaruna

    902 Words  | 2 Pages

    Divakaruni, C. B. (1995). "The Disapperance." Compact literature: Reading, reacting, writing. (pp. 584-589). Boston, MA: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

    Read More

  • The Character of Iago in Shakespeare's Othello

    1618 Words  | 4 Pages

    Di Yanni, Robert. "Character Revealed Through Dialogue." Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Literature. N. p.: Random House, 1986.

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis: We Should All Be Feminist

    1238 Words  | 3 Pages

    Portraying the characters rejection to conformity, American literature illustrates the distinctive following of one's own standards. From what has been analyzed previously, the authors are trying to display a message of change through the characters words and actions. Many times it is apparent that the characters are in there times of most comfort when they are acting in such that makes them their own being, stepping aside from the standards of the rest of society. Writers try to express the importance of stepping outside of that comfort zone in order to grow and develop as a human being. How will one ever know who they are if they conform to be what everyone is told to be? The biggest advocate of rejecting the norms of America is Chris McCandless.

    Read More

More about Comparative Essay between “Fight Club” and “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”

Open Document