Fight Club: Book vs. Movie

In this week’s literature circle discussion, the first of three about Chuck Palahniuk’s novel Fight Club, I was interested in the points that my fellow group members brought up. Nicole’s critical article raised the possibility that the narrator and Tyler Durden could be the same person, which I think I remember from the movie and also I felt was subtly implied in the first nine chapters that I’ve read thus far. I know that, having seen the movie version of Palahniuk’s novel, my view of the book will be somewhat affected by what I’ve watched but hopefully, since it’s been a few years since I saw the movie I’ll be able to enjoy the book, relatively unaffected by knowledge of the plot development.
In terms of the style and mood of the Palahniuk’s novel, I feel that the movie adaptation got things perfect. The sinister, grungy, dingy tone of the movie feel slike an exact translation from the original novel and the characters in my mind also translate perfectly from one medium to the next. Even the narrator, who is *never* described, seems a perfect fit in Edward Norton, whose sad, tired, eyes are like a mirror to the narrator’s disillusionment (and invisibility!) with society and with his life. Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden is an almost-perfect actor for the character- he’s definitely a leader and the sort of person who Edward Norton’s character would seem to gravitate to. But for me, the mysterious and threatening undertones of Tyler Durden’s character in the novel aren’t much reflected in Pitt’s machismo performance- one that appealed to hordes of fight-club wanna be teenage boys but perhaps didn’t do complete justice to the novel.
The best character translation between the book and movie, especially in terms of appearance, was Marla Singer. Her skin is described as pale, pale white and rather pasty. She has dark, large “anime” eyes, ratty hair, and pouty big lips. She *is* Helena Bonham Carter. And with an American accent, I really couldn’t imagine a more perfect Marla Singer. Granted, her character is not as explored (thus far in the novel anyway) as the narrator or Tyler Durden, but to me she encapsulates Marla’s cynicism, her perverse satisfaction in watching suffering (almost sadistic?), her desire to die and her need for love, particularly physical, from the right person who walks her way.
As far as the rest of the novel goes, I’m going to do my best to forget that I have ever even seen the movie version of Fight Club. This approach, I feel, will be most helpful in analyzing the progression of the novel and its characters in the next two sections of the novel. I’m not sorry that I’ve seen the movie, because right now I’m reading with a visual image of the characters in mind, a faint understanding of the novel’s themes (but not so clear that I can’t form my own opinions from the text), and an eagerness to continue following the narrator through the next part of his life.