Gray-collar workers serve others, which was once the role and cultural norm associated with women. These men now stratified in a traditionally female role, experience degrees of role strain, "tension among roles connected to a single statues." (Macionis 88) At one point in the movie, Tyler says to Jack during a heart-to-heart: "We are a generation of men raised by women." The social-conflict analysis of gender theorizes that gender not only has to do with behaviors but also with power. (Macionis 263) Traditionally men were more powerful and husbands dominated wives. However, when 28% of families are one-parent with a majority being single women, a young boy is raise with the norm of a woman being in complete control. (Macionis 350) It is also proven that children who are raised in a single-parent home start out poorer, receive less of an education, and have lower incomes as adults. (Macionis 351) There is an acknowledgment of the destratification of typical gender roles, when Tyler continues his heart-to-heart by saying, " Do you really think that women are the answer?" (Fincher 1999) Eventually, the reality that their slavery to the white-collar capitalists is the product of a lack of strong male role models while growing up becomes a slap in the face when they realize the dreams and delusions of grandeur in reference to becoming famous and "having it all" was a life-long deception.
The Chuck Palahniuk's (the writer) anti-consumerist message flows through Fight Club in almost every scene. The soundtrack contains a song "This is your life" that contains a collaborative message from the whole movie. One particular line reminds us that although we may live in a capitalist society where image is made out to be everything that we are not what we buy! "You are not your bank account, you are not the clothes you wear. You are not the contents of your wallet. You are not your bowel cancer. You are not your Grande Latte. You are not the car you drive. You are not your fucking khakis." (Fincher 1999) Basically, the material goods society has come to associate with different social levels in order to stratify us into classes does not define who we are as people. This movie essentially explains that gray-collar workers of America have lost touched with their masculine side, the ability to size up in our consumerist society, and has been called "Marxism for Dummies" by some. (Diken 2001) All in all, Fight Club is an extremely complex psychological thriller with numerous sociological messages. Remember, "this is your life, and its ending one minute at a time. "
© 2002-2007 Jaime Kozlowski of domspe.org
