Themes

By Miss Mullahy And Mr. Rose

In contemporary literary studies, a theme is the Central topic, subject, or concept the author is trying to point out.

Themes
-Masculinity In Crisis

- Identity in crisis - Anti-consumerism - Anti Capitalism

Masculinity In Crisis
Masculinity in Crisis is demonstrated through the narrator attending a support group, Remaining Men Together. The narrator meets Bob who has developed breasts. Men are shown to turn to violence in an attempt to reawaken their senses. Also in the support group a man starts to cry because he couldnt give his ex wife children.

Identity in Crisis
Identity in Crisis is shown throughout the entirety of the film. A prominent point to this is that the narrator has never been heard to have a name as well as the other members in Project Mayhem. Also, in one of the first sequences, the people in the office are all wearing formal suits, drinking coffee and photocopying, they each dont have their identity, they are a copy of a copy of a copy The character Marla, is shown to attend support groups for testicular cancer, this shows that she herself doesnt know who she is.

Anti Consumerism
- Anti consumerism is shown in the IKEA scene as a voiceover takes us through the narrators apartment indicating that he is a compulsive buyer and when he sees it he has to have it as he explains that it defines him. - Another scene that shows anti consumerism is when Tyler is talking in the bar with the narrator. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. 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't.

Anti Capitalism
Anti-Capitalism in the film is much like anti-consumerism. However, the end sequence focuses just on anti-capitalism . As you can See from the shot below their is a long shot of Marla and the narrator holding hands looking out to the exploding collapse of the Financial district which is where credit card companies are based. The collapse of the buildings meant debts to be cleared. What you have to remember for Anti-Capitalism is that it all links into the idea of a broken America and failed American dream. It also highlights that most people are left feeling unfulfilled, i.e the narrator.

Exam Tips
Remember When answering questions on Themes, make sure you dont drift off the subject and begin describing what is happening in the sequence, unless it has specific relevance to the question this is just time wasting and irrelevant. Unless it the question asks you to talk about one specific theme, make sure that you mention all three of them. It shows the examiner that you know what you are talking about and can earn you those few extra marks.

In the next 5 minutes, try and complete the crossword puzzle -- for a small prize.