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The Protagonist Of Fight Club (dir David Fincher, 1999) Jack (edward Norton) ...


The protagonist of Fight Club (Dir David Fincher, 1999) Jack (Edward Norton) is a homodiegetic frame narrator. As such the narration of the film is highly subjective to Jack's own personal point of view. In an early scene Jack establishes both his own personal point of view and one of the films major themes through his voiceover. He describes his dissatisfaction with modern life whilst his narration is supported by the imagery. He talks about being a ‘slave to the Ikea nesting instinct,' we see him walking through his apartment but with everything labeled and priced as if he were trapped inside a catalogue. The visual metaphor supports the characters words and it is apparent to the audience that the story's themes and narrative are being presented to us through Jacks own subjective experience.
Jack's alliance and subjective influence over his audience is enhanced by direct reference to the mechanics of filmmaking and the fictionality of the diegesis, through direct reference to what we see in the frame. For example in the seen in which Bob (Meat Loaf) is introduced, Jack calls our attention to him by telling us to ‘see the big moosey.' In a later scene in which he is explaining Tyler's (Brad Pitt) terrorism of the hotel food industry, he breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the camera. The line between the image-maker and Jack as narrator is blurred. We as the audience are led to feel comfortable with Jack and to except his commentary at face value. We are invited to share Jacks world perspective.
Although Jack's narration of the story is retrospective it is also told in direct discourse with little reference to future events. As such the audience experiences the story with Jack and emphasize with his dissatisfaction at life, and his revitalization. At the crucial scene when Jack discovers that he and Tyler are one and the same the voiceover stops before returning with the line Please return your seatbacks to their full and upright position. The line is recognition of the audience's disbelief that the character is experiencing.
Although the film leads us to sympathize, empathize and follow Jack's perspective for the majority of the film; once the audience is aware that Jack and Tyler are the same person the narrative of the previous ninety minutes must be completely reevaluated. Including as Phillips suggests the presentation of the films other characters.
If we see a character through the eyes of another character, who has a very distinctive attitude, this may influence our view of that character too. This is, of course, complicated by the fact that we have to take into consideration what we know about this other person and the ‘reliability' of their point of view.
Through reevaluation and re-narration of the films previous events we come to understand the character of Marla (Helena Bonham Carter.


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